


Webs We Weave

by mayghaen17



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Arranged Marriage, Blackmail, Divorce, Drama, Enemies to Lovers, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Fake Relationship, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Harry is the real MVP, Memory Alteration, Post-War, Running Away, Secret Relationship, Secret pregnancy, Sexual Content, Single Parent Hermione
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:07:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 43,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25026676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayghaen17/pseuds/mayghaen17
Summary: Running was cowardly, she knew that. Not even the threat of Voldemort had been enough to make her run and hide, but this was different. This time, it wasn't just herself she had to worry about. With a quick, unsteady hand to her stomach, she finalized her plan and disappeared without a word to anyone.
Relationships: Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Daphne Greengrass/Theodore Nott, Draco Malfoy/Astoria Greengrass, Draco Malfoy/Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley/Blaise Zabini, Gregory Goyle/Pansy Parkinson, Lucius Malfoy/Narcissa Black Malfoy
Comments: 41
Kudos: 444
Collections: all time favs





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alpha love to honeysweetcutie / forever unbeta'd
> 
> This fic was heavily inspired by the song "Are U Gonna Tell Her" by ToveLo
> 
> If you would like to get to know me on a more personal level, feel free to join my FB group: madrose_writing

**ONE**

This was the last time.

It had to be.

_This is the last time,_ she thought as she rolled her hips above him, moaning as he bucked his up, filling her beyond capacity. _This is the last time_. The mantra cycled like a broken record, refusing to be forgotten. She looked down and caught his gaze; silver and intense as it bored into her. He never closed his eyes and he hated it when she did. He wanted to watch her come undone. Every time. His stare was more intense this time. As if he were memorizing her every move; every sigh and cry.

Her lids fluttered and she pitched forward, hands smacking loudly against his porcelain skin. He met her thrust for thrust as she picked up the pace, latching onto that wave of pleasure that licked up her spine. His hand shot up, wrapping lightly around her throat. She swallowed hard beneath his fingers and his eyes darkened. Her nails dug into his chest as the wave crested and she sang like the sirens.

The ocean of pleasure came up and swallowed her whole and when it spat her back out, she was beneath him. His forearms had her head caged in and her legs were locked firmly around his waist. _The last time_ , her mind warned as his stare threatened to penetrate her soul the way his body had.

Her nails raked down his back, not caring if she left a mark. She felt him shudder his eyes flashed feral for a moment. His thrusts deepened and her lips parted with a gasp as another wave of pleasure began to build. She dug in harder and he dropped his head to the crook of her neck, growling as his teeth nipped at her skin.

She felt something sticky at her fingertips, but there wasn't time to wonder if it was blood or sweat as he applied a blinding pressure to her neck. She cried out in an equal mix of pain and pleasure, pushing them both over the edge.

He stayed longer than usual and they sated each other until their bodies refused to cooperate any longer. When the time came to part, they dressed in silence. As was customary, they would just give each other a mutual nod and depart without a word, knowing that they would meet again the following week. Like clockwork.

"This is the last time," she said, working on the last few buttons of her shirt. She wasn't sure if the verbal reminder was for him or herself.

His jaw ticked and his brow furrowed a little. He was more than aware that this was the case, but she still felt the need to say it aloud. She worried at her bottom lip as he continued to stare. He didn't say anything, just gave her a curt nod as he schooled his features into his signature mask of indifference. He carded a hand through his platinum blond locks in an attempt to smooth them.

Then they were staring at one another again, gazes locked in a battle of wills. They should have already left by now. Her heart was thundering in her chest. She had always known that they would have to part ways at some point. From the moment they started their rendezvous, she had always known they would expire. She even knew the exact date. They had both always known.

Yet, it seemed that neither of them wanted to leave. It didn't feel as finished as she thought it would. Somehow knowing the end was coming hadn't lead to the acceptance of it now that it was here. Slowly, she cast her gaze down to the floor and then closed them against the surprising amount of tears that welled up.

This was the last time.

It was.

It had to be.

She Apparated away before she changed her mind.

* * *

Hermione stared at the invitation in her hands. Part of her wanted to drop it as though it were made of fire and then obliterate it into a million pieces while the other part couldn't seem to let go as she stared at it in disbelief. Anger and confusion bubbled up inside of her. She wasn't sure why it was being delivered to her now. She wasn't sure why it was being delivered to her at all. It was a cruel joke that she did not find funny in the slightest.

The owl pecked at her and she scowled at it. Of course he was waiting for a response. She slammed back the rest of her Firewhiskey and summoned a pen and some paper. Her hand shook as she gripped the pen, hovering over the paper. There were many things she could have scribbled down, but her anger was making it hard to follow a coherent thought.

_Is this a joke? Friends was never part of our departure agreement. I still stand by what I said._

She added her initials and attached it to the owl, sending him off before she could change her mind. She stared at the invitation and fell back into the chair at her kitchen table. She dragged the bottle to her lips, skipping the glass this time and continued to stare at it. After a few minutes of fingering the edges of the elegant piece of paper, she closed her eyes and tried to block out all thoughts of him.

But her efforts were all for naught the moment she opened her eyes again.

_You have been cordially invited to attend the matrimonial ceremony of Astoria Greengrass and Draco Malfoy. To be commenced at…_

As the next mouthful of the whiskey burned its way down her throat, the invitation burst into flames. She stared at the orange tendrils, watching as all but his name turned to ash on her table. She snorted. Of course he would be the only thing she couldn't touch. How fitting.

She closed her eyes and tried to block out the memories, but she found herself pulling them from the depths of her mind and reliving each one of them. From the first time he had sat down next to her at the seedy Muggle bar and bought her drink. The way his knee had brushed up against hers; the way her fingers had skimmed up the length of his arm where the shadow of his Dark Mark remained.

_"A Muggle bar?" she questioned, a smirk on her lips. "Who would have thought?"_

_"I needed a change of scenery," he had said._

_An escape. She knew that all too well. It's what she had been drawn to this place for as well. It's what drew her in more often than not. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked._

_"No."_

_"So you just came to drink, then? I can help with that," she said, signaling the bartender for another round._

_"I came to forget." His head tipped to the side ever so slightly and her breath hitched as his eyes darkened. "Can you help with that too, Granger?"_

_She swallowed hard at the insinuation; neither one of them looking up as the bartender deposited two shot glasses in front of them. His knee brushed against hers and her spine straightened, a heavy breath escaping her lips. She had read the papers that morning. She knew he was here to forget about his marriage arrangement. It had been all anyone would talk about. She would never understand Pureblood traditions. Especially ones so archaic and outdated._

_"You're engaged, Malfoy."_

_"Betrothed."_

_"That's just a synonym. They mean the same thing."_

_"Engaged implies it was a mutual decision. Betrothed means that a contract of marriage has been commissioned and I have a limited window of time before there will be a ceremony held to sign it."_

_"Semantics," she frowned and downed her shot._

_"Tell me you haven't thought about it once since you've known me, Granger."_

_The hate between them had long since dissipated. All the animosity from the war was gone. They were just people they used to know. An acquaintance from school who sometimes crossed paths through mutual friends and gave a nod and a cordial exchange of pleasantries a few times a year. This conversation had been their longest one yet._

_"When have_ you _thought about it, Malfoy? Before or after you stopped calling me a Mudblood?"_

_He snorted and downed his own shot. "Before."_

_Her eyes widened a bit in surprise at that. "So this proposition of yours," she said, her fingers skimming up his forearm. "Is this just you rebelling against these ridiculous Pureblood traditions by taking a bite of the Forbidden Fruit?"_

_He leaned in and she felt his lips move against the shell of her ear as he spoke. "It won't just be a bite, Granger. I will devour you until there is nothing left."_

_She shivered as he pulled back, staring at her with mischief in his eyes. "I don't want to be someone's mistress," she said lightly, her breath coming in short, shallow pants._

_"You won't be. It's part of the contract. We are free to carry on as we choose until we've signed."_

_She wet her lips, an action his eyes followed with interest. "You're sure?"_

_"Of course. I even made sure to clarify."_

_She signaled the bartender for another round. "You sure you'd want a night with me, Malfoy? I wouldn't want to sully your-"_

_"I don't want just a night," he interrupted, his voice dark and full of lust._

_She blinked and sat back a little, letting his words sink in completely. She downed the shot the moment the bartender set it down and took a deep breath. "Has there been a date set?"_

_"Fall Equinox."_

_Four months._

_Hermione swallowed hard and bit her lip as she thought. "That's it then? That simple? We just rendezvous until that date?"_

_"Longer if you reconsider your stance on being a mistress. There's a clause in the contract to accommodate."_

_"That's repulsive."_

_"Not just for me. For Astoria too. The only thing we are obligated to do is produce heirs and stay married. Aside from that, we're free to…roam."_

_"For one, it's presumptuous for you to think that you could even hold my attention for more than a night and two. More so that if you can, I would want to continue something that could never see the light of day."_

_His hand came to rest on her knee and slowly began sliding up her thigh. "One, it's not presumptuous. I know for a fact that after one night, you'll be begging for more." He smirked as she squirmed under his touch. "But when the time comes, if you want to walk away, I will let you. Just know that I intend to do everything I can to convince you to stay."_

_She slid off her seat and lifted her chin as she held his gaze. "When the night's over, you'll be the one begging, Malfoy."_

_His eyes were alight with desire at that and slammed more Muggle money than necessary on the counter before grabbing her hand and leading her out onto the street. He tugged her down the alley and shoved her between himself and the building, pressing his lips to hers and demanding entry with a bite to her lip before Apparating them away._

Hermione blinked herself out of her memories, staring at his name in the otherwise cindered patch on her table. She took a last swig and pushed herself out off the chair and down the hall to get ready for the day. The last thing she was going to do was think about him. He wasn't worth her thoughts. Especially the dangerous ones that had formed over the last few weeks. The ones that had her reconsidering her decision to not be his mistress after he took a wife.

Especially not the ones where she thought about asking him to get out of it.

It was supposed to be just sex.

No dates. No fluff. There was barely even conversation. They just met at the bar, had a drink, sometimes two, and then Apparated to his hotel of choice for the next few hours. They would depart moments after finishing and not speak about it if they crossed paths in public.

But somewhere along the way, between making her cry out with his head between her thighs or spilling his seed inside her while leaving bruises on every inch of her skin, she had developed feelings. No one had ever made her feel the way he did and when they had parted ways a few nights ago, it had felt unfinished.

But it was too late now.

In forty-eight hours, there would be a Mrs. Malfoy and it wouldn't be her.

* * *

She wasn't sure what possessed her to seek out that Muggle bar. She knew he wouldn't be there to meet her. She knew, and yet her feet still moved until she was seated in her usual spot. But she was nothing if not a creature of habit. She just had to break this one before it became too painful. One drink and she would leave. One drink and she would never step foot in this particular bar again.

She ordered that drink, the only one she would allow herself to have, and held the glass in her hand with an iron grip. She stared at it as if she were afraid of it. She knew that when it was gone, she would be too. With a heavy sigh, she brought the glass up, but before it touched her lips, a flash of movement to her left had her going stiff as a board. Slowly, she set her glass down on the bar and turned, eyes wide in shock as she took in the sight of Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he asked in return.

She tried to smirk at him, but her lips turned into a sneer instead. "I'm here to forget."

His brow furrowed at her as he produced a piece of paper and set it on the bar. Her gaze flicked over it and she recognized it as her response to him from earlier. "What was this for?"

She searched his eyes, waiting for the jig to be up, but found nothing. Not even a trace of humor. "You know, it's poor taste to invite someone to a wedding last minute. It's incredibly tacky when that someone happens to be a lover who's only just turned into an ex. Tell me, Malfoy, is my side of the bed even cold yet?" she snapped before downing her shot and taking off for the exit.

He was right behind her, dragging her into the alley, but she wrenched herself away from him before he could Apparate them. "Granger-"

"I thought I made myself clear. I didn't want to be your mistress. I don't ever want to be the something on the side. We both knew this was coming to an end, Malfoy. We both knew-"

"I fucking heard you, loud and clear," he interrupted. "I never invited you to the wedding. That would be highly inappropriate. Even if you had changed your mind."

"Then why did I get an invitation this morning?" she asked, hands balling into fists at her sides.

"I don't know, Granger. I don't…" His jaw clenched a moment before she found herself pressed between him and the exterior of the bar. His hands cupped her jaw as his forehead rested against hers. "It wasn't me," he whispered. "If you were there, I wouldn't be able to go through with it."

Her heart skipped a beat as she looked up through her lashes, trying her best to catch his gaze. "Then who-"

"I sent it."

They both went still for a moment before Malfoy stepped away from her so they could take in the sight of the soon to be Mrs. Malfoy herself.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because there was something you and I needed to discuss, Miss Granger," Astoria said, hands clasped neatly in front of her like a proper Pureblood. Her ability to maintain a calm demeanor was eerie. "And I knew Draco would run to you when you responded."

"Tori, this has nothing to do with you," Malfoy said, his voice dark with warning.

"It does," she said, turning her calculated gaze to him, allowing Hermione to take a breath. "You didn't honestly think I wouldn't find out, did you?"

"Tori-"

"Did you know he's been trying to find a loophole to our contract since we set the date?" she asked, looking at Hermione again. "That he's had nearly every lawyer in Europe scouring every inch of it. I knew he had been fucking someone else. I didn't care about that. But I do care about the fact that he would try and get out of his duties to marry me. Especially if he plans on abandoning me for a Mudblood." She turned to glare at Malfoy. "A _Mudblood_ , Draco, really? I'm afraid I can't let that happen. My reputation if you left me for her would never recover."

Malfoy stepped in front of Hermione as Astoria's hands unclasped and her wand became visible. "Tori, put your wand down. There's nothing to worry about. I'm not-"

"Just because you haven't found what you're looking for doesn't mean you'll ever stop, Draco. I know you. You're persistent. You won't stop until you find a way out of our marriage without any repercussions and I'm sure you're not above slipping me a potion if all else fails. So, I'm sorry, but this cannot continue."

"It won't," Hermione said, her voice tight as she stepped out from behind Malfoy. "I don't want to be anyone's mistress."

"How unfortunate for you," Astoria sneered. "Because Draco doesn't want a mistress either. If he did, he wouldn't be working so hard to end our engagement." She twirled her wand between her fingers, taunting them. "It would be better for all of us if he did, but as I said, I refuse to come second to a Mudblood."

"What are you going to do, kill me?" Hermione challenged.

Astoria's smile made Hermione's skin crawl. "Oh, Merlin, no. That would be too obvious. What I have in mind will spare me from any social disgrace." She pointed her wand at Hermione and uttered the spell before either of them could react. "Obliviate."

* * *

Draco watched as Hermione fell to her knees, staring off into space. The moment she landed, he surged forward and grabbed Astoria's wrist hard enough she dropped her wand. "Undo it, Astoria. Right fucking now. Or I'll-"

"You can't do a damn thing, Draco," she said, yanking herself from his grasp and summoning her wand. "To turn me in will mean I have to tell them why. And when your father finds out you've defiled yourself with the likes of her, you'll be disinherited. Is she worth all the gold in your vault?" she asked, smirking when he didn't respond. "I only made her forget about your time together. She'll come out of her stupor in a few minutes, think she's had one too many, and go home."

"You're not going to Obliviate me?" he asked.

Astoria smiled and shook her head. "No. I want you to remember that I'll stop at nothing to keep my place in society. I suggest you keep away from her because if she remembers on her own, it won't just be you that I erase." She straightened her dress and smiled again. "I expect you at the Manor in five minutes," she warned before disappearing.

Draco turned back to Granger and dropped to his knees beside her. She was still just staring off at the other building across the alley, her eyes dull and listless. He brushed two knuckles across her jaw and bent down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'll fix this," he whispered. "I promise, Granger. However long it takes; I'll make it right."

He lingered with her in the alley until she started to come out of her daze, thinking of all the ways he could destroy Astoria and restore Granger's memories with the least repercussions. At the very last moment, he tore himself away from her and disappeared with a loud crack.

* * *

The picture in the Prophet that morning had been nothing short of perfect. The new Mrs. Malfoy was the epitome of Pureblood, aristocratic perfection. But where people couldn't stop talking about how lovely the ceremony was or how drop-dead gorgeous Astoria as a bride, Hermione couldn't stop staring at Malfoy.

She hadn't seen him looking that haunted since Sixth Year. He had grown into himself over the years, she knew that from their various interactions, short as they may be. She knew it was an arranged marriage, but she had hoped within the last four months they had grown to at least like each other. Even if it was Malfoy, she was sad to see the utter defeat and disappointment in his eyes. Surely being married to Astoria Greengrass was better than becoming a Death Eater.

But no one would ever know given the look on his face in that picture.

To Hermione, it looked like he might have preferred the latter.

Even as the weeks went by and pictures of them on their Honeymoon were posted, Hermione still noted that Malfoy looked far from happy. After the first week, she stopped looking at the front cover. The sadness in his eyes made her feel sorry for him. And if she looked too long, she was left with a strange ache in heart she couldn't make heads or tails of.

It was a few weeks after they had come back from their Honeymoon that Hermione saw Malfoy in person again. He looked a little less haunted by the ordeal than he had in the first picture and she wondered if anyone else saw it.

It was at the Leaky Cauldron one Thursday afternoon. She had only worked a half day before leaving for an appointment at St. Mungo's. There, she had received some puzzling news. News that she couldn't wrap her brain around and the more she tried, the less sense it made. So she had gone straight to the Leaky, ordered a drink, and stared at it.

She wanted to drink it, but she wouldn't be able to live with the guilt if she did.

"Alright there, Granger?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin as Malfoy slid in to the seat next to her at the bar. "Fine," she replied.

He studied her for a moment, his eyes sliding to her untouched shot glass for a moment. "Drinking in the middle of the day? What's the occasion?"

"I'm not drinking," she said. She pushed the shot glass towards him. "Congratulations, Malfoy. You two certainly are quite the pair."

He eyed the glass skeptically again. "If I weren't here, you'd be drinking this," he said, shoving it back towards her.

"No, I wouldn't," she insisted, moving it back to him. "It was a mistake to order it," she added, putting a Galleon on the bar. "Enjoy. Really, congrats," she said mustering a genuine smile as she got to her feet.

A gasp tumbled past her lips as his knee brushed against hers. The echoes of a memory ghosted before her eyes. She reached out to steady herself, not caring how hard she grasped his forearm. Chills erupted down her spine and as she stared up at him, she could remember every moan, every sigh, every touch in their stolen moments together.

She yanked her hand back from him and ran before he could say anything. Before he could see that she was remembering. She was out of the Leaky and in her flat moments later, curled up on the couch as memory after memory assaulted her psyche and pieced back a puzzle she hadn't been aware of losing pieces to.

When it all settled, Hermione let the tears flow freely as she formulated her plan. Running was cowardly, she knew that. Not even threat of death had made her want to run and hide when Voldemort was trying to take over, but this was different. This time, it wasn't just herself she had to worry about.

With a quick, unsteady hand to her stomach, Hermione finalized a plan and then got to her feet to begin packing. She allowed herself one suitcase before she emptied her vault at Gringotts, and disappeared without a word to anyone.


	2. Chapter 2

**TWO**

It was never Hermione's intentions to ever step foot in England again. When she had moved to Canada over three years ago, she had made her peace with her home country. She hadn't even told anyone where she had gone, but at one point, her condition had taken a turn and there were complications. She had needed help. She had given in and contacted Harry.

Being the amazing friend that he was, he dropped everything and came to her side. He had even kept it from those around them. And when he first saw her, stomach round at seven months along, he hadn't asked any questions. She knew he wanted to; it was always written on his face. She was grateful that he didn't. She wasn't sure could answer them.

Even as her daughter came out with platinum blonde curls and striking silver eyes, he kept his mouth shut.

Harry came by once every few months and stayed for two weeks. He always came under the guise of an international case that needed his attention. She never asked for the specifics of his cover story. She often wondered what the others made of his leave of absence when it occurred, but she trusted him to tell her if he couldn't do it anymore.

So when he arrived a month ahead of schedule, Hermione knew it wasn't good news that led him to her door. It turned out that Arthur was sick and it was beyond what the Healer's at St. Mungo's could do. That, according to them, it wouldn't be long now. Hermione's gut had twisted. She wouldn't be able to live with herself knowing that she never got to say goodbye to someone who had a hand in raising her like a second father.

It was how she found herself packing up her Canadian flat with no intentions to return. When the only thing left was her daughter, Hermione and Harry paused outside of her door and leaned against the frame, facing each other. "Are you going to tell her?" he asked.

Hermione glimpsed her daughter's face through the slit in the door, watching as the nightlight sent different colors dancing over her skin. "Tell her what?"

"The truth, Mione. About her father."

"No," she answered firmly. "I still haven't told-"

"Do you remember the tapestry at Grimmauld?" he asked, cutting her off.

Her blood turned to ice as she stiffened. In two sluggish heartbeats, she lifted her gaze to his.

"I noticed it a year ago, though I assume her name's been there since you made it official on her birth certificate."

"But I didn't list him-"

"It doesn't matter. It's a magical tapestry, Hermione. It goes by blood, not names."

She swallowed hard and reached up to twist her curls around her fingers, not caring that she was only doing damage to the strands. "Has he… Do you think…"

He shrugged and reached out to grab her hand. "I don't know. I don't see him that often. Being that the Malfoy line is one of the oldest and heavily documented, I'm sure there's magical record of it somewhere. It's just a matter if anyone's noticed it. But as far as him coming and asking if we've seen you… He hasn't."

"How long do we have?" she asked.

He checked his watch and she saw the way his eyes scrunched as he calculated the time difference. "Not long."

She nodded and went to push open the door, but he grabbed her other hand and held it as well. "You know everyone is going to ask when they see you. What are you going to tell them?"

"I don't know, Harry-"

"You have to think of something, Hermione. She looks just like him. And the timing? You left right after they got married. Everyone's going to connect the dots. Just like I did."

She snatched her hands from his and took a step back, wiping tears of frustration from her cheeks. "I'll dye her hair."

"The portkey is taking us directly to the Burrow in a half an hour. There isn't enough time."

"Fine," she snapped, running fingers through her hair for the hundredth time that night. "Let them connect the dots then. I don't owe anyone an explanation."

"You owe Malfoy."

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she clamped a hand over her mouth. Her other hand was curled over the opposite bicep, her fingers drumming against her skin. "I can't-"

"Did he hurt you?"

"What? No," she said, her hand going from her mouth to her chin. She lifted her gaze to Harry and begged him to see the truth, hoping to soften the anger in his emerald eyes.

"Well someone did. People don't just run away when affairs turn sour, Hermione. And they certainly don't abandon everyone they ever love with the intention of never being found again. Especially you. Someone hurt you and the only reason I can even think is what led to her," he said, pointing towards the slumbering toddler.

"I'm not afraid of Malfoy," she said after a moment. "I'm afraid of Astoria."

Her admission had his brows nearly lifting off of his face. "What did-"

"I ran because it wasn't just me that I had to worry about, Harry. I had her well-being to consider. It was just easier to be far away from all of it and pretend it never happened."

Harry pulled her into his tight embrace while she sobbed as quietly as she could manage. "Hermione, you have to tell me what she did."

She nodded against his chest as she tried to get her breathing under control. "I will as soon… As soon as we get to the Burrow. As soon as I see Arthur. I'll tell you everything. Just help me keep the rest of them at bay, please?"

He nodded and wiped away her tears when she pulled away. He checked his watch again and gave her a tight smile. "You go on and take a breather, I'll get Elara."

"Thank you," she breathed. She took one last look at her sleeping daughter through the slit in the door before heading towards the bathroom. After a quick splash of water to the face, she did a hurried last look around the house and joined Harry in the living room to shrink their possessions and put them all into her trusty beaded bag.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she stared at Elara sleeping on Harry's shoulder. Her little arms were wound around his neck, her thumb trapped between her gums. She swallowed hard as the panic began to settle in. "Mione, the portkey," he whispered, gesturing as best he could towards the chipped coffee mug on the end table beside her. She grasped the handle and held it out to him with trembling hands. "You can do this, Hermione. You were always the strongest of us. Don't let them take that away from you."

She gave a jerky nod of her head and sucked in a breath as the portkey began to activate, nearly vibrating out of her hold. Harry latched onto it and tightened his hold on Elara. Right as Hermione exhaled, she felt that familiar hook tug at her navel and the next thing she knew, she was just beyond the wards of the Burrow.

As she and Harry took a moment to let the nausea pass, Hermione wondered if Malfoy ever felt sick after using a portkey because Elara didn't so much as a twitch a brow after being transported from such a long distance. They both waited a few beats to make sure she would stay asleep before moving forward. Hermione tensed just beyond the wards, but forced herself through them, feeling the tingle of her skin as she passed.

It was several hours ahead here and Hermione felt out of sorts, but the sun had yet to rise. She hoped that meant the majority of those that dwelled in the misshapen building would be sleeping. As much as she wanted to just get it all over with soon, the idea of facing them all at once was overwhelming.

Harry went in first, careful not to wake Elara as he maneuvered himself through the front door. He held it open for Hermione and she closed it softly behind her. They strode towards the kitchen and she held her breath as she looked for signs that anyone else was awake.

"Oh, Harry. I wasn't-" Molly's voice cut off with a gasp and Hermione took a deep breath from her spot behind Harry. "Who-"

She stepped to Harry's side and watched as Molly's face went through an array of emotions. Harry stepped to the side as the Weasley matriarch stepped forward and yanked her into an embrace that left her unable to breathe. Tears fell into her hair and before she knew it, her own tears were flowing again. She wished she had taken a Calming Draught before coming.

"Hermione, is this… Is she…"

"Her name is Elara. She's a two and a half," she replied when Molly pulled back to look at the sleeping girl in Harry's arms.

"She's beautiful," she whispered and when she turned to Hermione again, she could see the older woman's mind reeling as she tried to connect the dots.

"Can I see Arthur?" Hermione asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Of course. Harry, you can set her up in one of the rooms. Most of them are empty right now."

"I'll be here after," he said to Hermione, reaching down to grab her hand. She squeezed it the way her chest was doing to her heart from being back in the Burrow. She hadn't allowed herself to miss this place, but now that she was here, she couldn't shut off her emotions. She handed him her bag as well and he took off towards the stairs as Molly beckoned her to follow the opposite way.

"He's too weak to make it upstairs so we transfigured the front sitting room for him."

"Molly, I'm so sorry," she said, stopping by placing a hand on the matriarch's forearm. She pulled her into another crushing hug, one that was long overdue.

"We've done all that we can," she said, pulling away again and wiping at her tears. "But he'll be overjoyed to see you. He never thought he would again."

"Had I known sooner, I-"

"You're here now, Hermione. I'm sure you had your…reasons…for leaving, but you're here now. Just promise that if you're going to leave again, please let us say a proper goodbye first. You're family and I c-can't…"

Hermione hugged her again and nodded vigorously. "I'm not leaving again. It won't be as easy to go away a second time," she said, knowing that once the word spread and Malfoy found out, there would be no way he was going to let her leave. Even if he didn't know she had her memory back, he, like everyone else, would only need to take one look at Elara to know.

When they pulled away from each other again, Molly took her hand and led her into the front sitting room. "Arthur? Darling, I have a surprise for you. Look who's come home."

Hermione's gaze swept over Arthur's frail and withered form. Her gaze blurred with more tears at seeing him like this. His skin was ashen like the blankets that surrounded him and what was left of his hair was no longer vibrant red; it was a dusty and dull. He fixed a gaze on her, trying to figure it out and then his eyes widened with surprise and he was reaching for her with brittle fingers. She moved to his side and gently threw her arms around him.

"Hermione? Oh how we've all missed you."

"I've missed everyone too," she said, her voice breaking with how true that statement was.

"Where were you?"

"Canada," she replied. "Harry's been helping me with something, but I heard about you and had to come home. I wanted you to know I was okay." She smiled as she brushed her thumb over his knuckles. "And I have someone I want you to meet later on if you're up to it."

"Oh?" he asked, rubbing at her left hand to check for a ring.

She laughed lightly and shook her head. "I have a daughter," she said, watching as his eyes sparkled with delight.

"I would love to meet her," he said, looking up to Molly over Hermione's shoulder. "We were just saying how we couldn't wait to have another grandchild around here, weren't we Molls?"

New tears sprang up furiously with a fresh wave of guilt.

"We were," Molly whispered behind her.

"Her name's Elara. She's two and a half."

"If she's anything like you she's as beautiful as she is brilliant," he said and then pulled his hand from hers to cough into it. Hermione looked away when she saw the splash of red that landed in the tissue he pulled up last minute.

"She really is a beauty," Molly agreed. "I only saw her asleep just now, but she looked like an angel."

"Not so much when she's awake," Hermione muttered, earning an amused chuckle from both of them.

"Does she take after her father at all?" Arthur asked when the coughing had subsided.

Hermione smiled grimly as he started coughing again and she stood up. As glad as she was for the interruption, she hated seeing him like this. "Get some rest, Arthur. I'll bring her by later," she promised.

He nodded and she slipped back into the kitchen, leaving Molly behind to take care of her husband. Harry was leaning against the counter when she turned the corner and she went straight into his arms the moment he held them out for her. She was all cried out, but she took comfort in his embrace.

"Elara didn't even notice when I tucked her in upstairs."

A trait she definitely didn't get from Hermione. Even before the war, her longest night of sleep was usually no more than a few hours. Her brain was just always on the go, never stopping for a breather. And she woke up at the slightest of sounds, even as a child. She sighed and relaxed into Harry as he idly stroked her back, his chin resting atop her head.

"You should go get some rest too, Hermione. It's going to be a long day as it is."

"I'll be fine," she assured him. She wouldn't be able to sleep. Not when she knew what she would be facing when she woke. "What about you?"

"I'm not sleeping until you do."

Her lips parted to say something, but they were interrupted by Molly's return to the kitchen. She studied them for a moment and then smiled. Hermione pulled away from Harry, but lingered close enough she could still feel him through her clothes. "You two should get some sleep before the cavalry comes home. Breakfast is at eight and you know my boys."

Hermione cracked a smile and nodded as nostalgia spread through her like wildfire. "It's alright, I-"

"I have Dreamless Sleep or Calming Draughts if you need," Molly said, heading to her potion's cabinet.

Hermione looked at Harry and he nodded encouragingly. "Thank you," she said, accepting the potions from Molly. She handed Harry the same ones and shooed them out of the kitchen. Harry then led her upstairs to the room Ginny used to use as a child. Elara was sleeping on the bed and she could see wards shimmering around the edges since there weren't any railings around.

Harry pointed to a pile of pillows and blankets near the foot of the bed. "I figured you'd want to sleep in here."

"I do, thank you."

She used her wand to make a makeshift bed and then they downed their potions at the same time, both of them shuddering at the taste. "Will you stay?"

"Already planned on it," he said, shucking off his shoes and laying down. He yawned as Hermione laid down on her side facing him. "Goodnight, Mione."

"Night, Harry." She was asleep before she even finished closing her eyes.

* * *

It took a moment for Hermione to remember that she was in Ginny's old room at the Burrow. It was strange for the space to feel both foreign and familiar at the same time. She lifted her head and panic crept in when she realized the bed was empty.

"She's downstairs."

Hermione scrambled to turn and see Harry lounging against the wall beside her. He was sitting on the pillow he'd slept on the night before. He had a mug of coffee in his hands and he smiled at her reassuringly as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Wh-what time is it?" she asked, moving to sit beside him.

He used his wand to bring her a matching mug from the dresser across the room. The contents were at the perfect temperature as she sipped at it. He glanced at his watch. "Half ten."

Her eyes went wide. "How long have both of you been awake?"

"I've been up for less than a half hour. Molly brought coffee and food when you're ready. Said Elara was wandering the halls at six." He smirked at her. "Cheeky little witch got past my wards and out the door without us noticing."

Hermione groaned as she took a long sip from her cup. "Great, she's inherited my penchant for sneaking about."

He snorted. "Double when you factor in Malfoy and her Slytherin side."

Hermione sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. "I suppose you want me to tell you now."

"Please," he said, levitating her breakfast to her as well. "You can even kill two birds with one stone. I reckon they're eager to see you."

As it was, she could hear the loud chatter that came with a gathering of Weasley's. An odd sensation crept up her spine as she heard her daughter's laughter mixed in here and there. "How much detail do you want?"

Harry grimaced and he pushed up his glasses again. "Spare me the nitty-gritty of your relationship."

She cracked a smile. "But that's where all the good stuff is."

"Please, Hermione. I ate quite a bit just a few minutes ago. Last thing I want to do is see it again."

She laughed and nudged him with her elbow before taking a small bite of toast. She took her time in chewing it and once she swallowed, she just played with the crumbs on her fingers as she told him what led up to her running away. When she got to the part of Astoria, he had taken her plate from her and held tight to her hand.

"She meant it, Harry. And I'm scared. If they find out about her, they'll either disinherit him or they'll try and take her from me. Either way, Astoria-"

"No one is going to take her away, Hermione. No one," he said as he looped an arm over her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "I will pull every last one of my Golden Boy cards if I have to to keep that from happening."

Deep down, she knew if it came down to it, she would sully her magical core by using the killing curse on anyone who tried to take her daughter from her, but she would let Harry try that route first. "I need to talk to him first. Before the rumor mill starts."

"Let's start with the people downstairs," he said and pushed her off of him. "A couple more bites and then we should go."

She nodded and they sat in silence while she forced a few more bites into her stomach. She levitated the plate back to the dresser and summoned her bag. "Can you keep them down there so I can freshen up a bit?"

He nodded and got to his feet before offering his hand to help her up too. "Once they know I'm up, it'll be about ten minutes before they come storming up here, regardless if I lie and say you're still asleep or not."

She smiled and followed him out of the room into the hall. As he made his way to the stairs, she ducked into the hall bathroom. She relieved the sting in her bladder and then rummaged around for a fresh pair of clothes. She had just showered the night before, although you wouldn't know it by the state of her hair. Too many knots spread through the curls from running her fingers through it during her hours of anxiety after Harry had arrived with the news.

After a few minutes of psyching herself up in the mirror, she returned the bag to the room she'd slept in and then made her way downstairs. The moment she stepped into the living room, an uncharacteristic silence settled over the Burrow. She took in the red hair and freckled faces as they stared at her like she was a ghost come back to haunt them. As her eyes watered, her lips parted, but she was prevented from speaking as someone barreled into her, forcing her to grunt as the air left her lungs.

The familiar smell of Ron Weasley hit her nose and before she knew it, she was a sobbing mess in his arms as the intensity of his hold had them staggering to their knees. She clutched at his shirt to keep him anchored to her, afraid that if she let go, she would truly fall apart the way she wanted to. He was the only thing keeping her together at this point and he clung to her like he knew.

"Mumma?"

She felt Elara's hand on her shoulder and forced herself to pull away from Ron. They continued to sit on their knees as she turned to face her daughter. "I'm okay, little love."

"Mumma sad."

"No," she said, tucking some blonde waves behind her daughter's ear. "Mum's just happy. These are Mum's friends. Mum's family."

Elara's little hands reached out to press against Hermione's cheeks and lifted them up into a squished smile. The same thing Hermione always did to her when she was sad. She smiled for real and pulled her in to kiss her forehead. Elara squirmed and kissed Hermione's forehead in return.

"Elara, would you like some ice cream?" Harry asked, bending down to her.

"Yes!" she squealed, throwing her arms up around Harry's neck.

Hermione mouthed a thank you to him as he carried her to the kitchen and found herself in Ron's embrace again. "I'm so mad at you for leaving without saying a word, Mione, but you're here. You're here and I never want to let you go again."

"I know, Ron, I'm so sorry. I'm not leaving again. It was what I had to do then."

"Where did you go?" Ginny asked.

Hermione felt her face flush. She had nearly forgotten there were others in the room. She pulled away from Ron and got to her feet, letting him wrap his arms around her again after he stood as well. "Canada."

Ginny's eyes trailed off towards the kitchen for a moment before meeting Hermione's gaze. "Is she why you left?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"Were you in danger?" Ron asked, his arms tightening around her. "Why didn't you tell me? How did-"

"Ronald." Molly's voice was full of warning. "Hermione came out of hiding from whatever chased her away so she could say goodbye to your father. She just got in this morning. The lot of you should just be grateful she's here and save your questions for when she's ready."

Hermione smiled at the matriarch. "Thank you for breakfast and for watching Elara."

"When she finishes her ice cream, Arthur's lucid. He'd love to meet her."

She nodded and watched as Molly disappeared again. She turned to look at the other Weasley's. One-by-one, they came up to hug her. Charlie, Bill, and Percy kept it short and thanked her for coming and then disappeared to other parts of the house. George held her almost as tight as Ron had and only let go because Ginny shoved him out of the way.

"Harry's not the father," she whispered so only the red-head could hear her.

Ginny snorted. "That much is obvious," she replied. "I'm here to talk when you're ready."

"Thank you," she said and pulled away to find Ron grabbing her hand and tugging her outside.

"I can't wait, Mione. I need answers."

She wiped at her face, wondering when she would be out of tears to shed. "Go ahead."

"How long has Harry known where you were?"

She worried at her bottom lip. She braced herself for an outburst. She knew everything she told him would break his heart. "When I was seven months pregnant, there were complications and I was put on bed rest. I needed someone to help me and-"

"Why didn't you ask me?" His voice was near a choking sob as he looked at her with hurt in his blue eyes. "I would have dropped everything to help you."

"I know, Ron, I know," she said, biting her tongue to keep from sobbing again. "He's just… I needed…" She took a deep breath. "I needed someone who wouldn't ask questions and could keep his anger to himself."

Ron smoothed a hand over his face and nodded begrudgingly. "So all this time we thought Harry was up to something shady, but he was just visiting you?"

She nodded. "Yes. Every three months. In the beginning he stayed with me for four months, two before and two after I gave birth."

A bout of screaming laughter had them both looking towards the house again and when Hermione looked back, his eyes were already on her. "Who's her father?"

"Ask me something else," she pleaded, dropping her gaze in shame.

"Mione, she looks-"

"Ron, please. Don't go there. Not now."

"But-"

"No," she snapped, looking up at him then. "He doesn't even know. No one can know until I figure out if she's safe."

His eyes widened in alarm at that. "Why wouldn't she be safe? Mione, what-"

"I will tell you everything, Ron, please, just not right now. I can't…Not now. I can't. I can't-"

She broke down, but Ron was there to catch her before she fell. His arms were one of the things she missed most. Even though they hadn't worked out once the adrenaline of war wore off, she would never stop craving his arms around her. Same as being near Harry. It had killed her soul when she made the decision to keep him in the dark. But they had been through enough for her to know that if she saw him again, he would forgive her with time.

"I'm sorry," he said into her hair. "I won't push. I promise. But you're safe here, Mione. No one will harm you or Elara."

That was how Harry found them when it was time to introduce her daughter to the Weasley patriarch. Ron joined her, Harry, and Elara in the sitting room. She sat back and watched her daughter interact with Arthur. It brought on more tears as she thought of her own parents. They were still in Australia where she had sent them before seventh year. They didn't remember her as she had done too good of a job.

It made Hermione wonder if it was Astoria's shoddy spell casting or if it was a side effect of being pregnant that made her memories return. Either way, seeing Elara with a grandparent in any capacity warmed her heart and she felt guilt come over her as she thought of all the years she had robbed them both of this.

When Elara started to fuss, they gave Arthur some space and the trio took her upstairs to put her down for a nap. When they were able, they stepped into Ron's old room next door and sat like they used to during their summers together. And later that night, she curled up behind her daughter on Ginny's old bed with her two best friends on the floor as if guarding them from any would-be attackers.

She knew she had to tell Malfoy, but as she drifted off to sleep, her fears and her guilt kept bringing out the worst-case scenarios. Sooner or later, she would have to confront him. That much was inevitable. But so long as she remained tucked away in the Burrow, she could maintain her bubble of ignorant bliss. It was just a matter of when, not if, and she was determined to keep it from bursting for as long as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

**THREE**

Arthur had passed two days after Hermione's arrival. Molly had gone to check on him right after she woke and her sobs had echoed through the Burrow, waking the rest of slumbering people within its walls. The funeral was held the next day at a wizarding graveyard not too far from the Burrow. There were many people from the Ministry and quite a few Purebloods; all of which made Hermione nervous.

The death of Arthur Weasley was something that a vast majority of the community mourned at large. It was heartwarming to see so many come to the Burrow to pay their respects for the Wake. It was great to hear so many stories about him in his youth. Hermione and Harry kept their distance when they could, overwhelmed by just how many Weasley's there truly were in the world.

Needless to say, Hermione wasn't surprised in the slightest to see an article about her in the Prophet a few days later. It was accompanied by a photo of her holding Elara at the Wake with Harry standing at her side with his arm around her back. Had it not been for the occasion and the somber expressions on their faces, Hermione would have thought it was a nice picture.

Because the picture had been in black and white, Harry informed her that the rumors had been circulating about them. She was doubly glad now that Ginny had helped her dye Elara's hair brown and charmed it to keep the dye to last far longer than it would have on its own. That way, no one that had seen them at the funeral or the Wake would know.

Which only sparked different rumors.

"You should come to Grimmauld with me."

It was the third day after the funeral. Hermione had been at the Burrow for a week and hadn't been outside the wards since her arrival. "I can-"

"You can't hide here forever, Mione. And you're the hot topic right now. It's only a matter of time before the vultures start circling and that's the last thing Molly needs to deal with."

Hermione sighed heavily and rested her head in her hands as she leaned her elbows on the table. "I suppose it's not a terrible idea."

"I'm quite used to vultures lurking outside of Grimmauld," he informed her, sipping at his tea. "Malfoy came to talk to me today."

She stopped moving for a moment and lifted her head slowly. "What did he say?"

"He asked if it was true."

She blinked in confusion. "He didn't see the picture? It was pretty obvious it was me."

"He wanted to know if the rest was as obvious as it looked."

Hermione furrowed her brow for a moment and then sighed again before leaning back in her chair. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him that it was none of his business. He gave me a few more lines of his usual snark and took off."

She nodded and began to tap at the edge of the table in effort to expel her nervous energy. "Harry…"

He reached over and laid his hand over hers, setting his tea down so he could do so with both hands. "You need to tell him sooner rather than later, Hermione."

"I know."

"Just promise me that you will."

"Harry, I will. I just need…"

"Time, I know," he said with a smile. "And yes. I'll go along with the scheme I know you're going to propose."

Her eyes widened a moment before she smiled sheepishly. "It's not forever. I promise. I will tell him. I just need to figure out how. I need to make sure we're safe."

"And when Elara calls me by my name or Uncle like we've taught her?"

She shrugged and pulled her hands from his so she could grab her own tea. "She just met a slew of aunts and uncles and is having trouble adjusting. Or she just hasn't learned that word yet. Does it matter?"

"No, Hermione, it doesn't. Are you sure about this?"

She nodded and closed her eyes as she took a sip of the tea, enjoying the way it burned down her throat. "Are _you_ sure about this, Harry? It means you won't be able to date for however long."

He laughed. "I work far too much to date as it is. When I did have some down time, I spent it with you anyway. But I promise to not fake cheat on you with one-nighters if you promise me the same."

Hermione stared at him with horror for a moment before she let loose a laugh of her own. "Deal."

"We'll need a few things for Ella though," he admitted, lifting his cup to finish his tea. "Grimmauld isn't exactly set up for long term guests."

"Sorry to intrude on your bachelor pad," she quipped, smirking over the rim of her cup.

"Why don't you leave her with me for a few days, dear?" Molly asked as she entered the kitchen. Her eyes were still bloodshot and her cheeks were glossed with tears. "I would love the distraction of a babe and I know you could use some adult time."

"Oh, Molly, I-" She swallowed hard. She hadn't been apart from Elara since the moment she'd given birth. But this wasn't a babysitter. This was Molly Weasley. Her second mother. Elara's grandmother. She was home. She gave a short nod. "Thank you."

Molly came to squeeze Hermione's shoulder. "No, dear. Thank you. You two get to bed," she said, shooing them away before gathering up their empty tea cups.

They made their way upstairs, silently slipping into the room where Elara was sleeping soundly in the safety of her wards. "Have you told Ron any of this?" Harry asked as he laid out the blanket the Muggle way.

She sighed and gave a shrug. "I can't tell him that we're fake dating without telling him why. It's killing me that I can't tell him, Harry. I saw his face when he read the article."

"We have to tell him, Hermione. It's Ron."

"That's exactly why I can't tell him," she pressed. "His temper… It would set him off and he's never been good at reigning it in. Especially where Malfoy's concerned."

"Make him swear an Unbreakable. He'll understand. I promise he will." He came to stand before her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you don't, it'll push him away and I don't think your friendship would recover from that."

With another heavy sigh, she nodded. "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he repeated and watched as she moved to join her daughter on the bed. "Goodnight, Mione."

"Night, Harry," she said, staring at the ceiling until she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

After breakfast the next morning, Hermione said goodbye to Molly and Elara. Elara was more than happy to find that she was getting her new grandmother all to herself for a few days. She barely tolerated her hug goodbye. With a strange sensation in her gut, she took Harry's hand and followed him to the Apparition point just outside the wards.

Once they arrived in Grimmauld, she was shocked at how much it had changed. He told her he had gave in and hired someone to modernize and update the flat. She took the room across from his and they decided the one beside hers would be Elara's. After getting reoriented in the space, Harry left her there to get Ron.

Alone, Hermione wandered to the room that housed the tapestry. She crossed the threshold with apprehension, sucking in a deep breath as she ran her fingers along the fabric and scanning for the branch she sought most. She spotted Bellatrix's name first. A brief panic filled her chest before she remembered that the evil witch was long gone now. She looked at the scorch mark where Andromeda's name had once been. Slowly, she shifted her gaze to Narcissa, then down to Draco, and sure enough, Elara's name below his.

Hermione sighed heavily as she pressed one hand over her daughter's name and the other over her quivering lips. She was fairly certain this was the only Black tapestry, but, like Harry had said, it stood to reason that the Malfoy's would have something similar to track their own lineage. The only peace of mind she had came from the fact that if they did, no one was paying attention. If they knew, funeral or not, she was sure Malfoy would have come banging on the Burrow's wards demanding the truth from her.

"Mione?"

Harry's voice carried down the hall from the living room. "Be right there!" she called, needing another moment to herself before she dealt with Ron. Hopefully he had matured a bit in her absence. With a heavy sigh, she pulled away from the tapestry and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her before joining them in the kitchen.

"Tea?" Ron asked, already adding water to a kettle.

"Please," she said with a smile before taking a seat at the table.

For a few minutes, the three of them were silent. Ron and Harry brought everything needed to the table for when the water was ready and when the sharp whistle sounded, he poured it equally between their cups. Once everyone had what they needed, Ron sat across from her and Harry took the head of the table between both of them.

"You know, if the two of you…" Ron started, staring down at his tea. He took a deep breath. "Just because we didn't work out… I'm happy…"

"Ron, it's not that," she assured him, reaching across the table for his hand. "I'm going to tell you everything. From the beginning. I just need you to promise me that you won't react or interrupt until I'm completely done."

"I promise," he said, his voice a bit apprehensive.

She nodded and then launched into her tale. She told him exactly what she had told Harry a few days prior. The only details she spared were the bits pertaining to her rendezvous with Malfoy. She could see his anger rising when she mentioned what Astoria had done. When she was finished, she sat back in her chair and sighed. "Okay, you can react now."

"That bitch."

Hermione grinned and Harry snickered. "That's why Harry and I are pretending to be together, Ron. Just until we figure out what we can do about Astoria and the Malfoy's. He didn't know I was pregnant when I left."

"Blimey, Mione," Ron said as he sat back, his arm slinging back over the chair. "I'm still stuck on the fact that Malfoy was trying to get out of marrying her for you."

Hermione stiffened at that. "It might not have been for me," she said. "He never wanted to marry her in the first place. It wasn't like that for us," she said, looking down at her cup, the lie tasting bitter on her tongue as she recalled the way her feelings had started to change towards the end.

"All that time and he never-"

She lifted her gaze slowly and quirked a brow at him, forcing her face to remain neutral. "We didn't really meet to talk." Her lips twitched as his lips curled. "If there was talking, it was-"

"I get it!" he snapped, shaking his body in disgust. "Merlin, you're going to make my breakfast reappear."

"Ron does have a point though," Harry said. "What if Malfoy was leaving for you like Astoria thought?"

She shrugged. "He made it clear that he was up for us continuing with me as his mistress once he was married. I was the one that told him no. That we were over the moment he signed that contract." She worried at her lip for a minute. "He definitely wanted out of that contract though, since the beginning."

"He should have just brought the damn thing to you. I'm sure you'd have found a loophole in a day," Ron mused.

"Not my problem anymore. I just want to keep Astoria from doing something dramatic. From what I understand they still don't have any children. She was quite clear that she didn't want anything to tarnish her reputation and spot in society. I'm sure an illegitimate Halfblood child with a Mudblood would do just that. Nor do I want Lucius or Narcissa coming after me for custody."

"I don't imagine they would."

"I don't either, but I wouldn't put it past them to try and get one over on us after everything."

Ron nodded. "Well, smart move on dying her hair then. Shame we can't do anything about her eyes."

Both Harry and Hermione nodded in agreement. "You can't say anything to anyone, Ron. I mean it."

"I know, Hermione," he said, smiling at her. "It irks me that Astoria would do something like that and that you ran off because of it, but you're here now. I won't do anything to provoke anyone. I promise."

"And there's nothing going on with Mione and I," Harry said in a serious tone. "This is all just until the truth comes out and everything settles down."

Ron looked back and forth between them and surprised them both with a roar of laughter. "Honestly, everyone has already assumed it would be the two of you anyway. So it wouldn't surprise me if you were. I'm over the part where I thought I loved you that way. I just want you to be happy."

She quirked a brow at him in challenge. "And even if that's Malfoy?"

His eyes widened in surprise and he grimaced, but shot her a weary smile. "Don't push it."

She raised her hands mockingly and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry I kept this from you, Ron, I really am. I didn't even want to call Harry, but I-"

"Hermione, I'm not mad. I was mad at you for leaving, but I never in a million years expected something like this to be your reason why. I'm just glad you're here and I'll be right there with you to figure everything out."

"When did you grow up?"

"When my nagging best friend disappeared and I had to fend for myself," he replied, ducking when she tossed a balled up napkin at him. She smiled at him and got to her feet to help Harry with the dishes. Ron watched the two of them, bewildered. "Did you both forget you're magical beings?"

Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance, pausing mid wash and dry before grinning sheepishly. "Still a habit after all these years," she replied. "Are you joining us in Diagon later?"

"And be officially labeled as the third wheel to you two? Merlin, no," he teased, getting to his feet. "I actually have a date later. Do you remember Katie Bell?"

"Of course."

"She works at St. Mungo's. She's a Healer now. This will be our third date tonight."

"That's twice as many as the last girl," Harry said, trying to keep his face serious.

"Oh shut it."

"How do you even do one and a half dates?" Hermione asked, stacking the dried dishes to the side.

"Have fun with the tabloids," he said blatantly ignoring her question, dropping a kiss to her cheek. "If you need me, I'm just an owl away."

"I'll make Protean charmed coins for us later. They're faster."

Ron's grin reminded her of the one that made her fall for him all those years ago. Back when they were nothing but innocent children heading to Hogwarts for the first time. "I've missed you," he said, drawing her into a full hug again. "But I gotta go."

"Bye, Ron," she said, waving as he walked towards the Floo.

When the dishes were all done and put away, Harry turned towards her and leaned against the counter. "Ready for this?"

Hermione took a deep breath and nodded. "At least we'll be in the Muggle world. It'll be easier to get reacquainted with London if I'm not being whispered about behind my back."

"We're going to Diagon for dinner," he reminded her.

"Do we really have to?"

"Hermione, the more you try and stay away from the community, the more intrigued by you they'll become. The sooner we can get your story out, the faster everyone can start their gossip. Then when it dies down-"

"You think they're ever going to stop gossiping about us?" Hermione interrupted, a hand on her hip. "You're Harry Potter and I'm Hermione Granger. We're the Golden Girl and the Golden Boy. We'll be dubbed the Golden Duo. Skeeter wrote about us being together back in Fourth Year and the whole world erupted waiting to see it come true. You think that after a decade, people aren't going to explode knowing that we finally came together? And that we did so in secret and now there's Elara…" She shook her head as her voice trailed off. "This is a bad idea, Harry. Maybe I should-"

"Hermione Jean Granger."

She straightened her spine and stared at her friend with wide eyes and parted lips. He had never used her middle name before, nor that tone of voice.

"Maybe you let Malfoy's self-preservation trait get to you during your trysts, because that was awfully Slytherin of you. Where's your Gryffindor courage and strength? Where's that girl- _woman_ that followed me around every corner no matter what kind of danger might be lurking there?" He folded his arms over his chest and stared at her. "I know you're trying to protect Elara, but you can't run and hide forever. She deserves to know the truth. And so does Malfoy." He flinched. "And damn you for making me say that."

Hermione smiled along with him at his last words. "Harry-"

"If you run, I'll make it my mission to find you. I know you better than anyone; better than you think I do. You could bury yourself under your wards, but I will always find you."

She sighed and leaned back further against the counter. She knew he was right.

"Hell, if I have to, I'll even recruit Malfoy to help me search."

She shoved playfully at him and shook her head. "You've made your point, Harry. Now go call that cab before I change my mind."

He smiled and gave her a light chuckle before he pulled her into his arms again. After a tight, but brief hug, he let her go and stepped away to make preparations for their day out.

* * *

They had really worn themselves out shopping for Elara. Most of the big stuff was scheduled to be delivered over the next two days, but the little things like clothes, toys, and necessities they took back to Grimmauld with them before dinner. All of which they dropped unceremoniously in the living room with the mutual agreement to deal with it the next day. Harry had even surprised her by telling her he was far too wiped for the press. He let them order in for dinner and they ended up both turning in early for the night.

The next morning though, Harry had somehow coerced her into accompanying him to the Ministry. When he told her that he was just going to check on a few cases, she had made a comment about how she wished he was that attentive to his homework. Perhaps then he wouldn't have had to copy hers so much.

As they Floo'd in, it took about a minute for the whispers to reach the Prophet photographers and another thirty seconds before the vultures were buzzing. After ten minutes of pictures and giving vague answers to their questions, they finally found themselves alone in a lift. "I do _not_ miss," she said, smoothing down the hem of her top.

Harry smirked. "Welcome back."

"Thank you," she replied, her voice heavy on sarcasm.

"Susan Bones gave me her card," he said, handing it to her. "She works for the Prophet. Asked to talk to us." She looked at the card and then at him. "I think it wouldn't hurt."

Hermione mulled it over and placed the card into her back pocket. "As long as it's not Skeeter."

When the lift stopped, Hermione drew in another deep breath and closed her eyes. When the little ding sounded, she opened her eyes again as the door opened and stopped short at the sight of Malfoy on the other side of the door. His eyes went wide as he realized who was standing in front of him and he let his gaze rake over her, stopping at her side when Harry thread his fingers through hers. His lips curved into a cross between a smirk and a sneer as he met her gaze again.

"Malfoy," Harry said cooly, holding her back from leaving since it wasn't their floor. Malfoy just happened to be on the one below their destination. She cursed her luck as she realized he was going up.

"Potter. Granger," he returned, stepping into the lift and turning his back to them.

Hermione shifted closer to Harry, forcing herself to calm down. Her heart was racing and her stomach was full of knots. She swallowed hard as memories of them tangled up in one another, the way the purple lights from outside the hotel streamed into through the window and tinted his hair. She cleared her throat, shoving the memories deep down; she wasn't supposed to have them anyway. She couldn't give him any indication that Astoria's spell had worn off.

The lift door opened again and Malfoy stepped off to the side to let them pass, but as she stepped forward, her hand brushed his and she jumped. She dared a glance up and found him staring at her. His brow furrowed as he wondered why she would jump. When he saw there was more to her fear, his eyes went wide. Before he could connect any more dots, the doors slid shut again.

Hermione sucked in a deep breath and looked at Harry. "That went well," he said.

"Yeah," she said, grasping onto his hand as he led her to his office. "Peachy."


	4. Chapter 4

**FOUR**

Sure enough, their appearance at the Ministry had the tabloids buzzing. With no topic safe, articles speculating on the nature of their relationship, on Elara's parentage, on Hermione's career; anything and everything kept being printed. And as the weeks wore on, the more outings they had, the heat only turned up. Even the sit down with Susan Bones did little to ease the infatuation with the Golden Duo.

With Harry back to his normal schedule at work, Hermione found herself alone with Elara for the majority of the day. In effort to keep her out of the spotlight as much as possible, they spent their time in the Muggle world. Even after a picture of them at the park wasn't enough for the vultures to venture outside of the safety of the wizarding community. It was a small safety net, but one that Hermione clung to regardless.

She had been back to the Ministry a few times as well. Kingsley had tried to talk her into coming back to her old job, but she denied it. She had enough money to ensure that she didn't have to work for quite some time. Even Harry had told her she didn't need to work if she didn't want to. That she could focus on Elara.

For the most part, life seemed to return to normal. Hermione refused to let her guard down, but as time wore on, she did allow herself to relax more. They had never officially confirmed Elara's parentage, even in the interview they gave to Susan. Others speculated that it was Harry and when people assumed it, neither one corrected anything. She continued to dye her hair and anyone outside of her, Harry, and the Weasley's knew the truth.

Even the few times she had seen Malfoy around the Ministry when she went to visit Harry, he had never approached her. She felt his eyes lingering whenever they were in the same room, but they never spoke. One time in particular, she had had Elara with her. She had fallen asleep so her eyes were closed, but Malfoy was studying her from across the room.

They were about to head to lunch when another Auror stopped him for a few questions on their current case. They exchanged a look and Hermione decided to go back down to the lobby to wait for him. When the lift opened, she stopped short at the sight of Malfoy already inside. She hesitated and tightened her hold on her daughter and stepped into the lift.

"Lobby?" he asked after a moment.

She half turned to look at him and offered a small smile. "Oh, yes. Thank you."

He inclined his head and let his gaze fall to Elara when she moved in Hermione's arms. "Are you back for good?"

She gave a curt nod. "No place like home," she quipped.

It was like watching tragedy strike; she couldn't look away. Even as his gaze lifted from their child to her own, she held it. "You gave everyone quite the shock by disappearing."

"Everyone?" she questioned and gave a small shrug. "I assure you, not that many people actually missed me. Just missed writing about me. They're getting their fill now."

His jaw clenched as his gaze flickered from Elara back to hers. "You'd be surprised."

"At what?" she asked, her throat dry.

He was silent a moment, but as the lift came to a stop, he whispered, "At who missed you."

Hermione felt the air rush out of her lungs as her blood turned to ice in her veins. Her lips parted to speak, but not a sound left her mouth. In the time it took for her heart to beat next, the lift doors opened and he gestured for her to go first. She forced herself to move and when she turned to look at him again, he was already gone.

The moment she saw his platinum blond locks disappear in the crowd, Elara stirred and pushed herself up from Hermione's shoulder, her eyes wide as she took in the hustle and bustle that was the Ministry. Hermione smiled at her and brushed hair out of her face. "We're going to have lunch with Harry."

Even in Elara's sleepy haze, the promise of seeing Harry brought a smile bright enough to rival the sun to her face. It was strong enough to push back the feelings the encounter in the lift had brought forward. "Potty, Mumma."

Hermione nodded and looked around for the nearest restroom. She knew Harry would still be a few minutes, so she made her way through the crowd. An easy toddler as she may be, realistically she knew they had a short window before Elara couldn't hold it anymore. Hermione sighed with relief when they made it in time. When she finished, they washed their hands, but instead of picking her back up, she let Elara walk.

She kept a tight grip on her hand as they made their way back to the meeting spot. However, as secure as she thought, Elara's hand still slipped from hers after an excited squeal left her lips. "Elara!" Hermione called out, darting after her.

With everyone leaving for lunch, the lobby was crowded and it made it hard for Hermione to get through. Her heart raced, even when she could hear Elara's laughter. Just when she thought she was going to launch into hysterics, she emerged to see Harry scooping the toddler up and nuzzling noses with her. She placed a hand to her chest and swallowed hard before approaching them.

"Elara, you can't run off on your Mum like that," Harry said. "It's not safe to be separated."

Elara gave him a grin that was eerily similar to Malfoy's and then looked at Hermione. "Sorry, Mumma."

Hermione nodded and took a deep, shaky breath. "Even if it's Harry, you can't do that," she chided. "I didn't know he was there. Anyone could have-"

"Hey," Harry interrupted, reaching out to cup her face. "Calm down, Hermione. She's okay."

She was close to having a panic attack. She could sense people taking a second look at them from the corner of their eyes; could hear the whispers floating around them. "We need to go. I have to get her out of here. I can't-"

"Hermione, breathe," he ordered, his voice low. She forced air into her lungs and let it out slowly. As she repeated the action, the panic began to recede and he smiled at her. His thumb continued to stroke her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "Let's get lunch like we planned and then I'll take you two home."

"What about work?"

"I'll owl Robbards when I get there," he said. "Come on, I'm starving."

Hermione couldn't help but laugh and relax a bit. "Of course you are."

Harry's grin widened and he dropped his hand from her face in favor of twining their fingers together. "What should we get for lunch, Elara?" he asked.

"Ice cream!"

Harry snickered as Hermione rolled her eyes. "That's not a meal," Hermione muttered.

Elara's nose scrunched; one of her few expressions that was all Hermione. "Noodles?"

Harry's glasses slid down his nose as he laughed and Hermione reached up with her free hand to push them back up for him since his hands where otherwise occupied. "I know just the place," he said as they stepped into the grate to use the Floo.

As they did, she turned her head and found Malfoy's gaze locked on her; his jealousy almost the same shade of green as the flames that sprang up around them to take them to their destination.

* * *

The following day, Hermione had just made herself tea after putting Elara down for a nap after lunch when the Floo roared to life. Assuming it was Harry, she remained seated at the table and summoned a second cup. The kettle was just on its way back to the burner when Ginny walked in holding a copy of the Prophet. She tossed the paper down on the table between them and helped herself to the tea as she took a seat.

Hermione was too stunned at the photo on the front page to question what Ginny was doing there. She swallowed hard at the sight of her and Harry at the Ministry the day before. The way he cupped her cheek with one hand and held her daughter with his other arm. The article that accompanied it went on to speculate their supposed love; _A Decade in the Making_.

"Ginny-"

"For the record," she interrupted, taking a sip of her tea. When she lowered her cup, she smirked, confusing Hermione. "I don't care one way or another, Hermione. Harry and I didn't work out. If you two-"

"It's not like that," she pressed.

"You're both shit liars." She tapped the photo. "Neither one of you could have pulled off this starry-eyed lovers look unless it was real."

Hermione sighed is exasperation. "Ginny, the only love I have for Harry is purely platonic. He's my best friend. He's doing me a favor until…"

"Until you grow a backbone and tell Malfoy you fathered his bastard."

"Ginny!"

The red-head's response was to laugh. She slapped her hand on the table and roared with laughter until she was wiping tears from her eyes and placing a hand to her abdomen. "Calm down, will you? I'm not an idiot; no one will find out from me. I promise. You don't even have to tell me the whole story, but I hope that you trust me enough to do so one of these days. I assume whatever made you leave is serious shit so I'm not going to pry."

Hermione bristled and she narrowed her eyes at her friend. "Thank you."

"All I'm saying is that the two of you seem to be convincing enough and that if it turns out to not be an act, you have my blessing."

Hermione said nothing, but she inclined her head and took a drink from her cup. There was more; there always was with Ginny. She had only dropped the preface for whatever had actually brought her here.

"Are you two up for a live performance this Saturday?"

Hermione knew she wasn't talking about a show or any other form of entertainment. "That depends on what it is," she replied hesitantly.

Ginny's fingers drummed on the table and she took a deep breath. Hermione worried at her bottom lip. The fact that Ginny was mustering up the courage to say what she needed to say instead of blurting it out did not leave Hermione with a good feeling. "I'm dating Blaise Zabini."

Hermione's eyes went wide and her lips parted in awe. "H-how long?"

"Almost six months now," she said with a genuine smile. "It's annoying how much I like him, but I'm tired of hanging out with his friends and being the only lion in the snake pit."

Hermione choked on her tea as she realized what Ginny was hinting at. She knew who Blaise was friends with. "Ginny-"

"It's one dinner. And it will just be the four of us. I told him I just wanted him to get along with the two of you. That I didn't care if the others got along with you." She snickered. "I'm not expecting miracles, you know."

Hermione smiled wearily at that and nodded. "I can handle the four of us," she said and relaxed a bit. "You really like him?"

"I really do," she said and launched into all the girly gossip Hermione had missed out on over the years.

* * *

Molly had agreed to watch Elara for the weekend before Hermione had even finished asking the question. Even when she had insisted it was only for Saturday night, Molly was having none of that and demanded her grandchild be brought over Friday night and that she could come back to pick her up on Sunday, but not a minute before noon.

It was strange to have gotten used to nights where Elara wasn't playing in the house or sleeping in her room. It still had Hermione on edge, but it was also kind of nice to have moments to herself again and have her motherly worries reduced to a simmer in the back of her mind instead of front and center.

"I can't believe you let Ginny talk us into dinner at Zabini's," Harry mumbled as he entered the shared bathroom without knocking.

"I thought the two of you were friends?" she quipped as she went about her skincare routine.

"We are, but there's still something to be said about going on a double date with your ex and your best friend turned fake girlfriend," he returned. "Not to mention the guy the ex is dating is a former rival from school."

"First of all, it can't be worse than pretending to be the father of your actual rival's daughter. And second, Blaise never did anything memorable during school. He was in Slytherin, yeah, but he wasn't like the majority of them." She smiled at her reflection. "Actually, he might have been just as slutty as Ginny was, now that I think about it. Maybe they really are perfect for each other."

Harry glared at her in the mirror for a moment before sighing and leaning his back against the counter. "I suppose you're right."

"Do you still have feelings for Ginny?" she asked.

"Merlin, no. She'll always be special, but it didn't work. It was never the right time for us."

Hermione nodded and set out to do a little bit of makeup for the evening. "Is there a witch that you fancy?"

"Aside from you?" he teased and she rolled her eyes. "No, there isn't. I've tried dating here and there, but everyone's interested in The Boy Who Lived or my Gringotts vault." He sighed heavily. "I need to spend more time in the Muggle world. I think I'll have better luck where no one knows who I am."

She stopped before applying her lipstick and turned to face him. "You know you can tell me, right? If you meet someone and you want something real, this-"

"I know," he said, staring off at the opposite wall.

When he didn't say anything else, she turned back towards the mirror and continued to get ready. She maintained their silence even after she finished and stepped in front of him to help him with his tie. "What are the odds Malfoy's enlisted Zabini to dig up as much dirt during this dinner as he can on us?" she asked, a smirk on her lips.

Harry snorted. "A hundred percent," he replied.

Hermione's smirk widened. "Then let's give him something good to report, hmm?" She then slipped into her room and put on the deep purple cocktail dress she'd had stashed in her closet for ages, but never had the chance to wear. She had thought of this dress immediately when Ginny suggested to dress up a little as dinner's at Zabini's were always an accessory away from formal.

She walked back out of her room and pulled her hair off to the side as she presented her back to Harry who met her in the hall. He took her cue and began zipping up the back of her dress. Finished, he gave her a nod of approval and escorted her down to the living room. "Last chance to fake an emergency," he said.

Hermione sighed. "We'll see how the night progresses before we play that card."

Harry smiled and pulled her into the fireplace. He linked their fingers together, grabbed a handful of powder, and off they were to Zabini's uptown flat. As they stepped out of the grate into a formal living room, it wasn't a House Elf or Blaise Zabini that greeted them; it was Ginny. Ginny and her blue eyes wide with panic as she seized Hermione's arm and squeezed it.

"I'm sorry. It was just supposed to be us."

Female laughter filtered through from another room and Hermione's blood turned to sludge. "Is that…Pansy?"

Ginny was quick to nod. "Theo found out Blaise was having you two over and he invited himself. Since he's married to Daphne, she came. And Pansy goes wherever Daphne goes so she and Cormac are here."

"McLaggen?" Harry and Hermione questioned in unison.

Ginny nodded. "They're dating," she added quickly and took a deep breath. "But because Daphne's little sister is Astoria and Theo and Blaise are his best friends, both of them are here as well."

Far too much information had been delivered in the span of thirty seconds that Hermione felt lightheaded. "Good."

Hermione's attention snapped to Harry. "How is any of that good?"

He shrugged and reached for her hand, extracting her from Ginny's grasp. "Because now we can just feed the information directly to the source and do so without the swarm of vultures."

"Harry, she's-"

"Ginny, under no circumstance is Astoria to be alone with Hermione," Harry interrupted.

Ginny's lips parted in surprise as she looked at the two of them. She gave a curt nod and pressed her lips together. Fire danced in her eyes as she smiled at Hermione. "My bat-bogey hex has improved quite a bit since Hogwarts."

Hermione laughed despite herself, glad that Ginny didn't demand to know why right then and there. She tightened her hold on Harry's hand, only slightly concerned that she was crushing him, and then followed Ginny out of the living room and into a dining room down a short hallway.

When they entered, seven pairs of eyes landed on them and the chatter of the room died instantly. Ginny put on a smile and walked over to Blaise's side, putting her arm around his waist. Blaise smiled at them and turned to Theo, his hand out, palm up. "I believe you owe me ten Galleons, Nott."

Ginny smacked him. "Did you bet they wouldn't show up?"

"No, Theo did," he replied with a wider smile. "They are Gryffindors after all, Mate."

Theo mumbled something under his breath as he reached into his pocket and produced the coins. He slapped them into Blaise's hand and then turned to smile at Harry and Hermione. "Long time no see, Potter. Granger."

"Introductions really aren't necessary," Cormac said from his spot near Pansy. "It seems we're all acquainted in one way or another." The grin he gave Hermione made her shudder and bite her tongue as to not gag right then and there. He hadn't changed at all.

As she averted her gaze, she did a slight double take at the sight of Malfoy at the opposite end of the room. He was stiff as a board, his knuckles white as he gripped his tumbler of Firewhiskey tightly. He was staring at Cormac with a slight narrowing of his eyes, but when he felt her gaze on him, he slid his eyes to her and they softened for a moment. She looked away first, moving closer to Harry.

Not a moment later, food appeared on the table before them as if they were still at Hogwarts. Harry moved forward to pull a chair out for her and it wasn't until everyone was seated that she realized Malfoy was across the table from her.

"So where was it that you ran off to?" Theo asked once everyone started to load up their plates.

She paused in her effort to twirl her pasta around her fork. She lifted her head and smiled at Theo. "Do you not read the Prophet?"

He chuckled. "I do, but I was hoping you had a real answer for us. You know, all the juicy details you haven't disclosed yet."

"Sorry, Nott. You'll just have to get your information from the Prophet like everyone else."

He smirked. "I tried."

Ginny jumped in after that to redirect the conversation. She was grateful that no one asked her anything else about her time away or her sudden reappearance. That was the good thing about this particular bunch of Slytherins and Cormac McLaggen. They were all too self-absorbed to really want to know the details. As long as they were talking about themselves or their endeavors, the topic of Hermione Granger seemed to fade to the background.

And had it not been for Malfoy's ever present gaze on her, she might have even forgotten that she had been gone for any length of time at all.

When dinner was over, Daphne was the first one to ask when dessert was as she placed a hand over her stomach. "It's amazing how pregnancy can make it so women never count their calories again," Theo drawled, though he smiled at Daphne and placed his hand over hers.

"Hermione, please tell my dear husband that it's easy to get back into shape after you pop out a child."

Hermione jumped at the way Daphne addressed her. As if they had been friends since the first day of school. "It can be."

"Thank you," Daphne said with a smile. "Come on, I think it's time we ladies had a chat. See you boys for dessert," she said and turned towards the exit of the dining room.

Hermione turned to Harry who smiled at her and leaned in close to her ear. "Ginny will be right there with you and I'll be here when you come back. I promise."

She nodded and slid out of her chair. She fell into step next to Ginny, forcing herself to ignore Malfoy as she brushed past him on the way out of the room.

When they entered a little sitting room, Pansy eyed her as she plopped into a plush chair. "You wouldn't even know you ever had a kid," Pansy commented.

"Yes, well, that was a long time ago."

"Still," Pansy added. "Some women use it as an excuse to just let themselves go and never come back."

"Did you?" Daphne asked, looking at her. "Have trouble losing the baby weight?"

Hermione shook her head timidly and wrung her hands in her lap nervously. "Uh, no. It was actually hard for me to keep weight on while I was pregnant." She kept her eyes on Daphne, but she could feel the others staring at her as well. Ginny sat beside her and her nearness helped her relax a fraction.

"Oh?"

"The doctors put me on bed rest for the last two months. They wanted to before I even hit the third trimester, but I didn't listen."

"Have you and Harry thought about having a second child?" Ginny asked, giving her an apologetic shrug.

"No," she replied almost instantly. "Even with planning, I don't think I could go through that again."

"Children are not worth the damage," Astoria quipped.

Pansy nodded readily, but Daphne just shook her head. "Please, I give it less than a year before you're popping out a Malfoy heir. My child will need a cousin their own age."

Astoria shifted in her seat and gave a fake smile. "I think surrogacy will be the best route for me. Then I never have to worry about anything being ruined." She gave her sister a cruel smile. "My husband happens to like everything just the way it is."

"Everything bounces back," Hermione replied, not missing the flick of Astoria's eyes to her. "But none of that really matters compared to how it feels to have your child growing inside of you." She smiled fondly at the memories of carrying Elara. Despite everything that led up to her and all the fear and anxiety, those precious moments made it all worth it.

"Yes well, some would say my little sister lacks maternal instinct," Daphne said. "How far in were you before you felt your daughter? I haven't felt my little one yet."

"You know when you're anxious about something and you get a case of the butterflies?" Hermione asked. Daphne nodded excitedly. "That was what I felt in the beginning. Muggle doctors called it the Quickening. I was probably about two, two and a half months in. I felt her kick for the first time when she was five months." Hermione smiled. "And then she never stopped moving."

Daphne beamed and then looked down at her stomach. "I think I've felt that before. I'll pay better attention now. Thanks, Hermione."

"How far along are you?" she asked.

"Ten weeks yesterday."

Hermione's lips parted to say something, but Pansy cut her off. "Can we please talk about something else? Maybe the fact that Cormac went to the jewelers the other day?"

Astoria and Daphne both let out a loud cry of surprise and happiness while Ginny and Hermione just exchanged a look and smiled at one another. As the conversation turned to planning a wedding that hadn't even been proposed yet, Hermione found herself wanting to escape. She quietly asked Ginny where the loo was and then slipped out of the room after reassuring her that she wanted to be alone.

As she left, she noticed the way Astoria's eyes lingered on her, almost as if she were debating on following her out into the hall.

Hermione found the loo easily enough. She took her time in relieving herself and washing her hands. She almost felt bad about lingering in the halls, snooping at the art that decorated the walls. As she decided it was time to get back, the door to another room opened and Malfoy stepped into the hall.

He froze at the sight of her and she wrapped her arms around herself as she gave him a curt nod in greeting. "Did you get lost from the herd?"

She couldn't help but crack a weary grin at the sound of laughter coming from the sitting room. "Stepped away voluntarily."

"I was surprised to hear you accepted the dinner invitation."

She frowned at him and rubbed her palms along her biceps. "It was supposed to be just the four of us. If anyone should have been surprised, it was me."

"Ah," he said, giving her a tight-lipped smile. "I was not informed of that. Sorry to have intruded."

She shrugged, reminding herself that she wasn't supposed to remember that look in his eye as it traveled up and down her body. Or the way his hands felt as they followed the same path. Before she had an intimate feel for those lips of his, they had been on okay terms, having set aside all the animosity from the war.

She cleared her throat and plastered a light smile on her face. "I imagine if I hadn't left the way I did, this wouldn't have been our first dinner party together. Ginny tells me she's been seeing Blaise for a few months now. Do you think they're serious?"

"The fact that it's been longer than a month tells me that it isn't casual."

Hermione did smile genuinely at that. "Good. Ginny's quite taken with him, although I hope you keep that to yourself."

He nodded. "Your secret's safe with me, Granger."

Her lips trembled at the flash in his eyes and she made the mistake of wetting her lips when her mouth ran dry. "H-how are you and Astoria? You had just gotten married when I left," she said, maintaining the sweetest smile she could manage. "You two looked so happy in your wedding and honeymoon photos. I hoped you two wouldn't be more victims to arranged marriages."

His eyes darkened slightly and his lips curved down so slightly she wondered if she had imagined it. "We're fine," he replied, his voice short. "What about you and Potter? How did the Weasel take the news?"

She rolled her eyes. "It might surprise you, but _Ron_ has matured quite a bit." She shrugged and tucked a cluster of curls behind her ear.

He took a step forward, his eyes alight with curiosity. "You didn't answer my question."

"I did-"

"Not all of it."

"Malfoy-"

"Tell me, Granger, is your relationship with Potter worth the decade of build up?" Sarcasm dripped heavy from his voice as his mouth twisted into a scowl.

He always knew exactly what buttons to push. Forgetting her role in this, she stepped forward, her face close enough to feel his breath on her face. "At least my relationship with Harry doesn't have an expiration date."

The tension thickened the air as realization of what she said settled over both of them. She stepped back, clapping a hand over her mouth as she watched him connect the dots. The silver of his eyes darkened to raging storm clouds and he reached for her. She stepped out of his reach and shook her head.

"Granger-"

"Don't!" she hissed, turning her back to him and hurried down the hall to the formal living room where the Floo was. She didn't even look to see if he was following her as she grabbed a handful of Floo powder and shouted the address to Grimmauld. The moment she landed in the living room, she Apparated to the Burrow, running for the door the moment her feet hit the ground.

Molly jumped in fright from her spot on the couch where she was knitting upon Hermione's intrusion. "Hermione?" she asked, concern in her voice as she got up, hand over her heart. "What is it dear?"

"Where's Elara?"

"I just put her to bed."

Hermione said nothing as she raced towards the stairs, ignoring Molly's frantic asking what was wrong. She only paused for a second outside of Elara's door to catch her breath and then opened it quietly. Once inside, she stopped beside the bed and leaned over to brush the fading brown locks from Elara's face. After a moment, she reached out and lifted her daughter from the bed.

When she turned to leave, Ron was standing in the doorway.

"Move, Ron."

"No."

She blinked back tears and tightened her hold on Elara. "Ron, please. Don't make me _Stupefy_ you."

"You're planning on leaving again, aren't you?"

"I have to."

"No, Hermione, you don't. Put Elara down so we can talk."

Tears slid down her cheeks as she pressed her face against Elara's crown. "Ron-"

"Please?"

She hadn't even realized that he had been moving forward the whole time. All she could think of was what she had said to Malfoy. That he had figured it out. She shook her head and choked back a sob as she cursed herself for being so easily goaded. How long did she have before he tracked her down and demanded answers? How long before he connected the rest of the dots and realized that Elara was his?

She didn't even realize that Ron had taken Elara from her and laid the child back on the bed until she felt his arms around her. "Don't run away again. Talk to me, Hermione. What happened?"

But her adrenaline had left her system and she broke down. She clung to Ron, the same two words on repeat until she could no longer speak.

"He knows."


	5. Chapter 5

**FIVE**

Draco sat behind the desk in his study. He was slouched back in his chair, one hand tapping the arm with nervous energy while the other rested on his thigh, gripping a tumbler of Firewhiskey. It had only been a few hours since Granger had run away from him at Zabini's. A few hours since she had confirmed a few of his suspicions. It wasn't solid proof, but it was close enough. There would come a day when she wouldn't be able to run and she would have to tell him. Until then, he would continue about his life as if she wasn't a part of it.

He relished the way the alcohol burned its way down his throat. It reminded him that he was alive; that this was all real. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back slightly as memories came rushing to the forefront of his mind. Of the way the ends of her hair would tickle his chest like a feather as she leaned over him. Of the way her eyes turned to honeyed fire from the faintest of touches. The way her breath would hitch as he pulled down her knickers. That satisfied sigh and low moan as he sank into her.

He shifted in his seat and tipped his head back even further as his cock strained the seat of his pants. His grip tightened on the glass and he carded his other hand through his hair over and over again before tugging at his tie. Too many nights he had spent tucked away in his study; his only solace when the rest of the Manor's occupants were lost in slumber. Too many nights he had used the peace and quiet to think of her and wish that he had done something different. That he had done anything at all, really. Then it would be her wrapped around his cock, bringing him to climax instead of his hand.

Cleaned up and put back together, Draco finished his drink and sent the glass to the kitchens with a flick of his wand. With great effort, he pushed himself to his feet and left the study. He paused only long enough to lock the door and ward his office closed before moving along to his wing of the Manor. He hoped that she was still asleep when he entered their room. He wasn't in any mood to deal with her, especially how she had acted upon coming home after leaving Zabini's.

She had practically gloated at the fact Granger had left the way she did. In that fake, aristocratic voice, she had told Potter she hoped she was alright, but the moment she was sure no one was looking, she shot Draco a warning glare. He had merely shrugged and used every ounce of willpower he had to not fire a killing curse right then and there. If it weren't for the fact that the Greengrass' would get everything his family had if something happened to their daughter, he would have done it the day she Obliviated Granger.

He hesitated outside of his bedroom door. It was technically a guest room since there was no way in hell he was sharing his actual bedroom with this woman. He had sealed it shut the moment she moved into the Manor. She had tried everything to break in or get him to invite her in, but she severely underestimated how much he truly loathed her. Every time he looked at her, he was reminded of what he used to be. Of the way he had acted in his youth. Every cruel and vile thing he had ever said replayed in his mind whenever Astoria spoke.

It was the only time he was ever grateful for the war. Had he never been forced to make those decisions, never seen the true horrors of what could be, he would never have changed his ways. Had he never changed his ways; he would have never had his chance with Granger. If only he had found a loophole sooner. Or just paid off the Greengrass' the sum they had asked.

_"Is she worth all the gold in your vault?"_

He hadn't answered Astoria then, but gods yes. Granger was worth every last Galleon on the face of the earth and he had let her slip through his fingers. He hadn't even been able to the tell her any of the things he had come to realize since that day he found her in that bar. If he could go back and do it all over again, he would.

All of it.

From the beginning.

Before he did something stupid, like Apparate straight to Grimmauld and demand she talk to him in the dead of night in a drunken stupor, he pushed open the door to the room and walked inside. He was careful to shut it and turned, a sigh of relief escaping his lips at the sight of Astoria sound asleep under the covers. He studied her for a moment, his lips curling into a sneer. It was a shame she was only beautiful on the outside.

He moved towards the joined bathroom and began to strip down before donning the sleep clothes he wholly detested. But the more layers he put between himself and his wife, the better. Before heading to the bed, he turned on the tap at the sink and splashed his face with water, scrubbing his face as if to chase the memories of Granger back to the proper places inside his mind.

Lost in thought, he didn't hear the slight creak of the bed, nor the faint sound of footsteps on the tiled floor. He stiffened at the feel of arms around him, a warm, feminine body pressed against his back. For a moment, he closed his eyes and let himself imagine. Imagine that it was _her_ hand slipping behind the waistband of his pants, wrapping around his cock. It was the sound of her voice that had him snapping back to his senses.

"Do you even know what time it is, Draco?"

He whirled around and grabbed Astoria's wrists, holding them up between them and snarling down at him. "Do _not_ touch me."

She had the audacity to smirk at him, but there was malice in her eyes. "And why not? I'm only your _wife_ after all."

He shoved her away from himself and stepped back until he hit the counter. He snorted and continued to sneer at her. "You say that as if I had a choice in the matter."

She huffed and waved him off before taking a bold step forward. "Regardless, we'll need to produce an heir someday." She let her gaze slowly travel down his body where his cock was still rock hard. The effect Granger had on him never ceased to amaze him; he had _just_ wanked to her not ten minutes ago. "Might as well put that to good use," she quipped before letting her gaze settle back on his, a smirk on the edges of her lips.

"What happened to wanting Muggle surrogacy?"

She gave a slight shrug. "My preference, but as I said, I'm still your wife. It's been far too long since you last touched me, Draco. I have needs too."

His sneer gave way to a full smirk as he pushed himself away from the counter and advanced on her. Her eyes widened in surprise, fear, and lust as he continued until she was pinned against him and the opposite wall. He reached up with one hand and cupped her head at the nape of her neck, his thumb pressing against the underside of her jaw to hip her head up. "I understand you have needs, Astoria, I do," he said, leaning in until his lips were against her ear. She shuddered. "Might I suggest you take a lover then, because I would rather lose everything than ever touch you again."

She shoved at him and he allowed himself to be pushed back. If looks could kill, he would be dead by now with the hate in her gaze. "That can be arranged, you know."

He froze at her blatant threat.

"You think that just because she's back changes anything?" she challenged, stepping forward despite the anger that made her tremble. "I am your wife, Draco," she pressed. "Regardless if she brought your bastard child into the world, you belong to me."

Draco's eyes went wide at that, his blood turning to ice in his veins. Astoria continued to advance on him until his back was against the counter again. Her hand returned to his cock in his lounging pants, stroking him softly. "Astoria-"

"There's no loophole, Draco. Stay away from her or I swear I will do everything in my power to make sure she disappears for good. She doesn't remember anything; I took care of that. Bastard or not, she is nothing to you. You're just the asshole prat of her youth that called her a Mudblood and watched your aunt torture her."

The coil of anger within him snapped. He grabbed her by the waist, and maneuvered them so she was bent over, gripping the edge of the counter. He yanked up the skirt of her slip and sank himself between her thighs. He closed his eyes and thought of chocolate eyes and golden hair. For the second time that night, when he came, it was to the memories of Granger coming with him.

He tore himself away from Astoria and cleaned himself up a second before pulling up his pants again. She turned to face him, the hatred in her eyes still burning brightly. "That's it?"

"If it's an heir you're after, I did my part," he snarled. "You want satisfaction, Astoria, find someone who cares about you enough to give it to you."

With that, he exited the bathroom and transfigured one of the chairs in the reading nook into something he could sleep in. Once settled in, he closed his eyes and waited for sleep to grace him with its presence.

* * *

The following morning, he had woken just as the first rays of the sunrise began to shine around the curtains. He stretched out his stiff and sore muscles from having slept in something other than a bed, and made his way to the bathroom for a shower. This time, he locked the door to ensure he remained alone. By the time he was dressed and ready for the day, the sun wasn't even halfway up over the horizon.

Ever since the war, his mother had been plagued with insomnia. He wasn't surprised when the House Elves asked if he wanted an early breakfast with her in the gardens. He had accepted and made way to join her. He bent down and dropped a kiss to her cheek before taking the seat across from her. She wasn't surprised to see him so early either. This wasn't the first time their paths had crossed like this.

"How was Blaise's dinner party? I heard Miss Granger and Mister Potter were there."

"Apparently we were not on the original guest list," he replied with a sigh. "It was only supposed to be Granger and Potter. A way for them to get to know the snake Weaselette's been charming."

Narcissa's lips twitched into a smile at the incensed tone of his voice. "Draco," she warned half-heartedly.

He gave her an apologetic smile and inclined his head. "Forgive me, Mother," he started, a full smirk curving his lips upwards. "Anything involving Potter has that effect on me."

"Astoria was telling me that Miss Granger left early. Unexpectedly. Was she alright?"

He shrugged, hoping his mother would change the topic soon. "How should I know?" He tapped arm of his chair. "I imagine being back is hard for her. Especially around people she was never friends with."

Narcissa's eyes softened and her smile was sad, but she inclined her head and moved on with the conversation. "What are your plans for the day, my dragon?"

"What would you like to do, Mother?"

Her smile turned coy in an instant. "I'm having lunch with your wife, her sister, and your mother-in-law at her house today."

It gave Draco immense satisfaction to know that not only did his mother loathe his wife as much as he did, but that she would do whatever it took to keep her busy so Draco didn't strangle her. Narcissa was far better at putting her in her social place than he could ever hope to be. Lucius tolerated her only slightly better than Narcissa, but Draco thought it fitting that she annoyed him. It was his fault they were in this mess in the first place.

"I only wish that we had been able to give you a sister. Then I wouldn't have to go to these functions by myself," Narcissa said with a smile and teasing lilt to her voice.

"What about Aunt Andromeda?" he asked tentatively.

Since the war was over and his mother had been one of the first to be vocal about treating everyone as equals, the first step she took had been to reconnect with her estranged sister. The only thing holding them back from being fully reacquainted was that Lucius' prejudices had been too far engrained to ever go away. He made small efforts here and there, but overall, he wasn't lining up to change anytime soon.

"I think I will," she said after a moment. "Thank you, Draco."

The House Elves arrived a moment later with their breakfast. They ate as the sun rose and stayed to continue their conversation even long after it had completely risen.

* * *

Monday morning, Draco stepped off the Ministry lift and made his way straight to Potter's office. He knew the work day had _just_ begun, but he had a full schedule today and if he didn't get an answer first thing, his whole day would be for naught. He barely knocked on the cracked open door before he stepped inside and closed it behind him. Potter stared at him with a half glare from where he stood behind his desk, his jacket still in his hands from having just removed it.

"Can I help you, Malfoy?"

"I don't have time to play games this morning, Potter. Just tell me she didn't leave again."

Harry continued to stare at him, sizing him up for a moment before sighing and draping his jacket over the back of his chair. "She tried, but Ron talked her out of it. She told me what happened. She's fine now."

Relief flooded his system, if only for a moment. He nodded and carded a hand through his hair. "I want to talk to her."

"She's not ready."

"She remembers," he said flatly, taking Potter's lack of reaction as confirmation. "I don't know how long that's been the case, but-" He cut himself off before the selfish side of him forced something he might regret later out of his mouth. "Just tell her that I want to talk."

"Malfoy-"

"Tell her that I'll keep my distance, but kindly remind her that my patience is practically non-existent." He saw the ghost of a smirk on his former rival's lips and he had to force his own from showing. "Please."

Potter gave a curt nod. "I've been trying. I don't want to push her too far. She's scared, Malfoy."

"I know," he bit out, trying to reign in his anger at what had transpired. He gave a curt nod of his own and turned to leave, pausing when Potter's voice reached him.

"Why didn't you tell me what Astoria did?"

"I was hoping to take care of it myself," he replied, turning back around. "And what would _you_ have done anyway? Gone Potter on her?"

Dark brows shot upwards and a laugh puffed past his lips. "Gone Potter?"

"You know, brandishing your wand, disarming everyone in sight without really knowing what's going on." He did smirk this time. "There _are_ other spells, you know."

"Seeing as how I defeated Voldemort with it, I think I'll stick with it, thank you very much." He tugged as his unruly hair, making it worse instead of doing anything to help it look presentable. "And seeing as that's how I earned my fame, I think I could have done something more than disarm a woman who did that to Hermione. Without much repercussion, might I add."

He rolled his eyes. "Ah, but of course. Saint Potter, the Chosen One, the Golden Boy. He can never do anything wrong." He cleared his throat and sobered. "Just please-"

"I will."

They exchanged another round of nods before Draco took his leave and went about his business for the day.

* * *

Wednesday afternoon, Draco found himself at the Ministry again. His father had been the one to make the deals and schmooze his way about when it came to the family business, but after the war, he trained Draco and sent him in his stead. It didn't matter if he would have rather followed his own ambitions to study alchemy and eventually gain a Mastery of the craft. He was the next generation of Malfoy's which meant he took over the family business. So he dallied in his own time; one of the rooms in the wing of the manor a potion's lab that he was certain Snape would have been jealous of.

Just as the mid-day rush of people getting lunch commenced, Draco ran into Theo. "Oh, this is perfect timing, really," Theo said, a sly grin on his lips.

"Is it?" Draco asked, wondering what that look in his friend's eye truly meant.

"I was about to head home for a moment to grab a few things so I could work on a proposal, one that I was going to ask your opinion of later tonight. Are you free right now?"

"Just a small errand I can finish later," he said, gesturing for Theo to take the lead.

"Good, then you can come with me."

He followed his friend through the crowded Ministry until they were able to Floo to the Nott's household. They landed straight into his study. He called for his House Elf and asked for lunch to be brought up when it was ready. Once that was settled, Theo poured them a glass of whatever was in the decanter on the cart and brought out the notes he kept in his desk.

"The bid for Junior Counselor starts in two months. I'm hoping to have this proposal all ready to go at the end of this month so that's it's fresh on everyone's mind when I put my name in."

Draco sat and leaned over the documents, skimming over the notes briefly at first. "Unless it goes poorly," he said, smirking softly at the way his friend's face fell. "Then I'm afraid you'll be a Legislator until the end of time."

"Ha, fucking, ha, Draco. Will you actually read this and tell me what you think? I'm afraid to enlist any of my colleague's minds. Wouldn't want them stealing my ideas this close to an election."

Draco snorted, but gave a nod. "Mind if I make a copy and take it home?" he asked.

"Please," Theo said, tapping his wand on the documents to duplicate them. "I would really like a review before Monday if you think you can pencil me in to that busy schedule of yours."

Draco laughed and sipped at the drink in his hand. "I'll bring everything by your office on Monday and we can discuss it then. I'll even add you to the calendar and make it official."

"And they say adulthood is a dull affair," Theo quipped as the House Elf returned with a tray of food for them.

As they tucked into their meal, Theo gave him the rundown of the law and additions to old ones that he was trying to change. From what he heard, he quite liked the ideas. He promised himself he would give the proposal proper diligence. Any good deed accomplished by anyone associated by former Death Eaters or their family members helped erase the stigma the association had left behind.

The laughter of a child broke him out of his thoughts and had his attention snapping towards the door. After a moment, he lifted one brow towards Theo. "I was under the assumption that Daph was at the _beginning_ of her pregnancy."

Theo laughed and shook his head. "Today must be the day she invited Granger over. She had some questions about pregnancy and from what Daph said, Granger was all for helping her out since Astoria and Pansy are of no use in that department."

His heart skipped a beat and he had to clear his throat, all the while forcing himself to remain neutral on the outside. "Right."

He watched Theo do a double take at the clock on his desk and sigh heavily. "I suppose it would be rude if I didn't pop in and say something to the wife," Theo mused with a smile on his lips.

Draco, while happy that Theo's arranged marriage to Daphne had worked out for the best, couldn't help but feel the jealousy course through him for a moment. He had tried, many times, to find _something_ that he liked about Astoria. At least, before she had proved that she was nothing more than a psychotic bitch. But it had been pretty clear early on that there wasn't a single thing about her he did like. It wasn't until after he ran into Granger at that Muggle bar that he realized the something missing in his life had been _her._

"I'm just going to use the loo and I'll see myself out," Draco said, getting to his feet at the same time as Theo. "See you Monday for our lunch."

"It's a date," Theo teased and winked before he exited the room.

Draco rolled his eyes and turned the opposite direction once he was out of Theo's study; in the direction of the laughter. A smile played on his lips as a pang ripped through his heart as he realized the little girl was being entertained in the library. It was so very Granger it was almost too much. Quietly, he stepped into the room and just watched at first. There was a House Elf playing with her, reminding him of the time his House Elves did the same with him when he was little.

He watched them for a few minutes, the girl, Elara if he remembered correctly, continued laugh and play as they sat before a dollhouse, the House Elf using her magic to make everything move as though they had a life of their own. Every time she snapped her fingers to make something move, Elara would dissolve in a fit of giggles.

It was when Draco reached up to adjust the sudden tightness of his tie that the House Elf caught sight of him and appeared before him. "Does Master Draco need anything? Trixie did not know yous was coming or-"

He smiled and shook his head. "It's alright, Trixie," he interrupted. "My visit was unplanned. Minky served Theo and I lunch."

He was about to tell the House Elf to go back to what she was doing, but Elara was on her feet and wobbling across the room with a doll in her hand before he could get the words out. He remained frozen, watching the toddler get closer, gaining confidence with each step. Her grey eyes, ones so similar to his own stared up at him with wonder as they shined bright. He swallowed hard, unable to stop the twinge of anger that surfaced as he wondered when she had taken her first steps. That he hadn't been there to witness her take them.

She stopped before him and he had to peer down his nose in order to see her. She lifted her small hand up, her tiny fingers wrapped around the doll. "Play," she cooed, smiling up at him.

He couldn't help but smile at the demanding tone of her voice. Of the way it reminded him of her mother. He nodded slowly as he took the doll she offered and then watched as she turned and hurried back to the dollhouse. He followed after her, sinking down to sit back on his heels to play with her.

It was awkward at first. The amount of children he had interacted with over the course of the years was very small. In fact, he could count the number on one hand. He hadn't even done anything more than congratulate the parents and look down into their bassinets. In fact, he distinctly remembered the first time he had met his cousin, Teddy Lupin. He was under a year old at the time; screaming and thrashing about and the sight terrified Draco.

"What are you doing?"

Granger's voice was a mix of anger, fear, and surprise from behind him.

He set the doll down, but didn't get up as he turned his head to look at her. "Playing dolls apparently."

Granger huffed and then made her way towards them, kneeling on the other side of Elara. "Come on, Elara, it's time to go."

"No!"

The combined stubbornness of himself and Granger was something their daughter had absolutely inherited. She would be quite the handful if she was anything like himself. From what his mother had said, she had been all too ready to put Draco in a body bind until he was older rather than deal with his toddler phase.

"Sweetheart, it's time to go home and take a nap. You have dolls there that-"

"NO!"

He couldn't help but smirk at the way Granger's eyes flashed with irritation, but he admired the way she held in her frustrations. He sobered when she caught sight of him. He set the doll he'd been given in one of the rooms and reached for Elara's hand, ignoring the way she bristled. "You should listen to your mum, kiddo."

"You play."

He nodded. "We did play and it was fun, but it's time to go home. I'm sure your mum will bring you here again and that Daphne will let you play in here too."

"With you?"

Draco shrugged and let his gaze flicker to Granger who was looking panicked, as if she was ready to grab the child and bolt from the room any given moment. "That's up to your mum, too," he said.

Elara stared at him for a moment before putting her dolls down and turning towards her mother. She raised her arms up and Granger stood to pick her up. Just as he'd seen several times, she put her head down on Granger's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Did she have lunch already?" he asked.

"Yes."

He gave her a light smile, watching as Granger brushed some curls from Elara's face. "Must have got that from me. I always passed out right after lunch too. Especially when my mother picked me up."

Granger had gone absolutely still for a moment and he saw the way her breaths turned to shallow pants. "Draco-"

"Did you think-"

"Not. Here," she snapped, turned her head up to look at him. He didn't miss the way her arms tightened around Elara.

"Not ever if I let you have your way," he muttered.

Her eyes narrowed. "You said you would fix this," she whispered, her eyes turning glassy with unshed tears. "Did you even _try_ to look for me?"

He stepped closer to her, hating the way she flinched in fear. He reached up to tuck a cluster of curls behind her ear, letting his fingers linger on the outline of her jaw before dropping back to his side. "Can we talk soon?" he asked, his voice soft. "Please."

She wet her lips and stared at him for a moment before giving him a single nod. "I'll owl you," she said before storming out of the room.

* * *

The owl came late that same night. He was three glasses of Firewhiskey in when the tapping of a beak sounded on the window to his study. He let the bird in and took the scroll from the pouch on its leg.

_Saturday. Noon. Grimmauld._

He scribbled back a short reply letting her know he would be there and sent the owl to deliver it in the hopes she received it before she changed her mind.


	6. Chapter 6

**SIX**

"Hermione, if you don't stop pacing, I'm liable to throw up."

She paused long enough to glare at Harry and then resumed her steps back and forth in front of the fireplace in the living room. Not for the first time, she glanced at the clock and sighed loudly. "You should take Elara now in case he's early."

Harry was in front of her in the blink of an eye. He thread his fingers through hers, effectively holding her still. "I still think you're wrong to want Elara at the Burrow. That's _why_ he's coming to talk to you."

"I know," she said, her voice low. She fought to get her hands out of his grasp, but he only held on tighter. "I don't want any distractions."

Harry dropped her hands and stepped back at that, his nose wrinkling in distaste. "Just promise me that you'll burn or replace whatever part of this house Malfoy's pale, bare ass touches."

Hermione balked at his accusation and folded her arms over her chest. "Harry James Potter!"

He sobered at the use of his full name in _that_ tone and shoved his glasses back up his nose. "What?"

"He's married."

One brow lifted and she narrowed her eyes at the mischievous glimmer in his. "That didn't-"

"He _wasn't_ married then."

"Just engaged."

"Betrothed," she argued.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "Don't those mean the same thing?"

Despite herself, her lips quirked into a smile as she thought of the conversation that had gotten them in this mess. "Semantics," she mumbled, waving him off and biting the inside of her cheek in the hopes of wiping the smile off her face entirely.

Harry shrugged and reached behind him to rub at the back of his neck. "I'm giving you until two. If I don't hear from you, I'm coming back. Please don't make me regret being a good friend by making me go blind. Remember all the things I did for you?"

She shook her head and let her eyes glance at the clock again. Less than a half hour before he was due to arrive. Another sigh escaped her lips and she rubbed at her temples as she perched herself on the arm of the couch. "What if he wants to be in her life, Harry?"

He sat on the cushion next to her and gently rubbed her back with one hand, the other landing on her knee. "He's her father. He kind of has that right."

She scowled down her nose at him. "And when Astoria learns that he's already fathered an heir with someone else? What about when his parents find out? What if they don't think a Mudblood is-"

"Hermione, stop."

"No, Harry!" she snapped, getting to her feet again. "These are the things I've been thinking about since I found out I was pregnant. These are the reasons I never wanted to come back here."

She took one deep breath after another, each one getting more shallow. As she started to hyperventilate, Harry gathered her into his arms and squeezed hard, the way he knew would help ground her. "Believe it or not, I don't think Malfoy is going to let anything happen to you or Elara."

"You don't know that," she whispered, burying her nose into his chest.

He was silent a moment and tightened his hold on her when she tried to pull back. "I've gotten to know him over the years too, Hermione. Some part of you saw something trustworthy in him to…" He shuddered and she snorted a laugh into his shirt. "Do you trust me?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Then hear him out. Let him tell you the whole story before you think the worst of him."

She did pull back at that, staring up at him with narrowed eyes as she studied him. "Harry… What do you-"

She was cut of by a loud shriek of laughter from Elara. Harry diverted his attention to the toddler that sprinted into the room and wrapped her arms around his leg. She reached up for his hand and tugged him towards the fireplace. "I guess that's my cue to go," he said, pulling her into his arms. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled loudly into his ear as he tickled her side.

"Bye, Mumma!"

"Harry-"

"Just…" he shook his head and reached for her hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Don't get mad, okay?"

"At him or you?" she asked, brow arched as she folded her arms over her chest.

He pushed his glasses up his nose again and smiled. "Both." He turned to Elara and bent so she could grab Floo powder in her tiny fists. "Ready, Kiddo?"

"Gramma!" she squealed, throwing the powder at their feet while Harry spoke the address for the Burrow. Hermione watched until the green flames disappeared and the leftover soot settled before turning away from the fireplace to resume her pacing until Draco took their place on the grate.

* * *

If Draco spent the next ten minutes pacing in front of the fireplace in his childhood bedroom, he was sure he would wear down the floorboards and find himself a story below. Instead of testing that theory, he grabbed a handful of Floo powder and spoke the address for Grimmauld. He wasted no time in using his wand to rid himself of the little bit of soot that clung to his suit, ignoring Granger's wide-eyed stare of surprise.

"Do I have to put up wards or are you going to stay put long enough to truly finish a conversation?" he asked as he finished with his wand.

"So right to it, then."

"Forgive me for not thinking you'll afford me a second opportunity to talk to you, so, no. I'd rather get to the point and air everything out here and now." He pocketed his wand and finally turned his gaze upon her. "And it's common knowledge that you're somewhat of a flight risk."

"I did what I had to."

His nostrils flared as he tried not to let his anger take over. "You did _not_ have to run. You could have come to me."

She shook her head adamantly. "No, Malfoy, I couldn't have. Astoria made it quite clear I was to stay away from you. I wasn't even supposed to remember what we had."

"I would have never let her-"

"Hurt me?" she challenged, her hands balling into fists at her side. "She already had. We had already decided to walk away, but she took away my memories. When they returned, I remembered everything else she said to you while I was in that daze." She shook her head and took a deep breath. "It wasn't just me I had to think of."

He frowned when she began to tremble. "And she wasn't just yours to take care of."

"You've never been Obliviated, Malfoy," she said, her anger dissipating to fear as her fists uncurled, her fingers tugging restless at the hem of her shirt. "You have no idea how truly terrifying it is to feel that something is… _off_. To make an appointment with a Mediwitch and find out that you…" She paused to swallow hard and wet her lips. "To find out that you're nearly two months pregnant and for the life of you, you can't even remember the last time you were intimate with someone."

He shoved his hands in his pocket in favor of reaching out for her. He could tell by the way she half turned from him that she didn't want that. Not yet, at least.

"When you found me at the Leaky that day, I had just come from St. Mungo's. I was still trying to process the news. Still wondering who I could have been with. When it could have happened." She wrapped her arms around herself and shrugged. "Wondering if it was even something I consented to."

His heart stopped beating for a few seconds as dread sank to the bottom of his gut. He had not taken any of that into consideration. He couldn't help himself from taking a step forward, one hand coming out of his pocket to rest gently on her forearm. Her gaze dropped to it, but she didn't pull away.

"It was when your leg brushed against mine that the memories started to return. By the time I got home, I remembered everything. I panicked and ran." He saw the tears falling down her face and heard the hitch in her voice. "I didn't know what else to do, Malfoy. I was terrified. I-"

He tightened his grasp on her arm and pulled her to him. His arms wound tightly around her, one hand rising up to lose itself in her curls, cupping the back of her head. She buried her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing back just as tight as his hold on her. Her tears wet his shirt as she sobbed; a few of his own slid down his face to wet the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," he muttered against the crown of her head as he turned to press his lips to her skin. "I'm sorry that I didn't fight harder. I'm sorry that I didn't fix it like I promised." She nodded against his chest and relaxed into him.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she whispered, her voice muffled by his shirt. "I just didn't know how."

He nodded above her and began to massage the back of her head. "For the record, I did look for you."

She pulled back to look at him, her hands falling to his chest in the process. "Y-you did?"

He nodded and adjusted so he could cup his face between both of his hands, his thumbs wiping tears from her cheeks. "I never stopped trying to find a loophole." He let his thumb graze her lips, swiping at a tear from her cupid's bow. "I regret not telling Astoria that you were worth all the gold in my vault, Granger. I should have turned her in right then and there. Should have-"

"Malfoy…" she interrupted, her fingers playing with the knot in his tie.

"I'm serious, Hermione," he said, the use of her given name making her gasp. "At first, I was looking for a loophole just because I didn't want to be forced into a relationship with anyone." He swallowed hard as he gave her a tight smile. "But I realized too late that I would have happily traded everything to have something real with you. Something more than drinks at some sleezy Muggle bar followed by a tryst in a hotel room."

Fresh tears slid down her face as she closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. He could tell she wanted to say something from the way her lips kept parting and closing, but from the way she started to shake in his grasp again, he knew she wouldn't be able to trust her voice. It was getting harder to trust his own.

"I even asked Potter to help me find you. When he told me that you contacted him out of the blue, I-"

She inhaled so sharply that he thought he hurt her and nearly let go. "You told Harry?"

"Sort of. He didn't question me, really, just saw that I was serious about knowing where you were and if you were safe. I nearly went mad when he disappeared for all those months. When he came back, he just told me that he had found you and assured me that you were fine. He never…" He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "He never told me that you were… That you had…"

She blinked up owlishly at him, her lips parted in awe.

"And then suddenly you were back. I saw that photograph in the Prophet; the one with you, Potter, and Elara. I was livid when I stormed into his office a few days later. I understood why you kept it from me, but for him to not say a word when he knew how I-" He took a sharp inhale of his own and let one hand dive back into her curls again while the other fell to her waist. "Maybe dying her hair fooled the masses, but I knew she was mine the moment I saw that picture."

He felt her stiffen in his grasp and watched as fear darkened her gaze. "If you knew…"

His hand moved back to her face to cup her jaw. "I mean it, Hermione. I don't care if my vaults are bled dry, Astoria won't be a Malfoy for much longer." He pulled her a fraction closer, his heart skipping a beat as her fingers coiled around his tie. "And I promise you, if she even tries to come after your or Elara, I will happily go to Azkaban to protect you both."

She gave a curt nod and he tracked her tongue as it darted out to wet her lips nervously. "What about your parents?"

"Let's deal with Astoria first," he replied with a light smile. "But if it eases your fears a bit, they won't try to take her from you either. My mother thinks she's forever in your debt for keeping the lot of us out of Azkaban and.." he said, letting his smile broaden. "My mother will be ecstatic that she has a grandchild that isn't connected to Astoria."

She nodded and relaxed against him again, but fresh tears welled in her eyes again. "I just… I'm scared."

"I promise you, Hermione," he said, leaning in so that his forehead could rest against hers. "No one," he breathed, pressing her closer to him. " _No one_ will take her from you. Not even me."

She turned her face up, their gazes locked as they shared each other's air; their lips barely centimeters apart. He wanted to lean down and close that small bit of distance between them. It had been _years_ since he had felt the softness of her lips, but he wouldn't make the first move this time. It had to be her. If she wasn't ready, he would wait. As long as it took, he would wait for her.

He silently thanked Merlin, Morgana, and all the gods when she pushed up on her tiptoes and closed the distance herself, her lips molding perfectly against his. It was a brief kiss, one that was born of just needing to feel that connection between them. While he would have liked nothing more than to pull her closer, taste the space behind her lips, and sink himself into the heaven between her thighs, he held back; perfectly content with whatever she gave him. It wasn't like he deserved anything anyway, so he would be grateful for what he received.

He sighed, despite himself, when she pulled back, easing away from his touch altogether. She smiled sheepishly up at him and tried her best to tame her mane of curls. He returned it with a light curve to his lips and looked around, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere around them. "Can I see her?"

She wet her lips and shifted on her feet before she gave him a light nod. "We shouldn't-"

"She doesn't have to know who I am. Not yet," he assured her. As much as it killed him to not have his own daughter know what role he played in her life, he knew it wasn't the right time.

Hermione nodded, relaxing a bit more. "Not yet," she agreed.

He looked up at the ceiling and then back at Hermione, head tipped to the side. "It's awfully quiet for having a toddler around."

She smiled softly. "She's at the Burrow. I didn't want… I just… I wanted to talk to you first."

He hesitated before inclining his head. "I understand."

There was a long moment of pause before Hermione cleared her throat and looked at him wearily. "Do you... Do you want to go to the Burrow with me?"

"Yes."

The lack of hesitation in his answer surprised them both. She gave another nod and then stepped towards him on her way to the fireplace. He stepped aside and waited until she grabbed a handful of powder with one hand and extended her other one to him. He took it carefully and joined her on the grate. He laced their fingers together, holding tight as they disappeared in a swirl of green flames.

* * *

When they had first arrived at the Burrow, Harry had just been coming down the stairs from having put Elara down for a nap. No sooner had he finished telling them that, Molly and Ron came into the living room from the kitchen. Right away, Molly had invited Draco to stay as long as he wanted, insisting he stay for dinner. He had looked at Hermione, almost for permission, and accepted the invitation after a slight nod from her.

While Elara napped upstairs, Molly employed the three of them to help get rid of the gnomes in the garden. Afterwards, they went back inside to cool off and wait for Elara to wake up from her nap. She ignored the questions in Ron's eyes every time she caught his gaze. There would be plenty of time to fill both of them in on what happened once Draco went home for the evening.

Once Elara woke, Hermione brought Draco upstairs with her to bring the toddler down. Elara had lit up at the sight of him and Hermione had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from crying again. She had immediately asked him to play dolls and upon seeing Ron down stairs, had dragged him into the living room to play with them as well. Harry and Hermione watched as the two men knelt on either side of the dollhouse and tried to keep civil for Elara's sake.

"Any chance you could get Molly's camera without being seen?" she asked Harry in a hushed whisper.

Ron glared at the two of them which caused them to snicker. If Draco had heard, he never acknowledged them. Instead, he kept his attention fully focused on Elara; giving her everything she asked for, the moment she asked. The only time he looked up was when Elara berated Ron for not doing something correctly. All three men looked at Hermione then to which she waved them off.

"Well, if there was any doubt on who her mother was," Ron groused.

Harry was nearly in tears laughing. "I haven't heard that tone since Fourth Year."

"Oh shut it," Hermione snapped, a grin on her face.

"You know what?" Ron started, setting his doll down. "Elara, do you want to go outside?"

"Fly!" she shrieked, dropping her dolls and shooting to her feet.

" _Ronald_!"

Even Draco joined in on the laughter as he got to his feet as well. "Has she been on a broom before?"

Her eyes widened as her fingers tapped against her collarbone. "Not by herself. What kind of a mother do you think I am?" She saw the glimmer of mischief in his grey eyes and hers widened in alarm. "Oh no. Draco, I'm not-"

"Does she enjoy flying?" he challenged.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "She might."

He smirked and looked at Ron and then Harry before turning his eyes back to her. "I'm only going to say this once, but look who you have here? Both Potter and myself are quite good at handling a broom if you'll recall."

Ron made a gagging noise as Harry scrunched his nose. Hermione felt heat flame her face and she pressed her palms to her eyes. "Draco-"

"Come on, Elara," Ron said, hoisting her up into the crook of his arm. "Mum and Draco will meet us outside."

When it was just the two of them near the door, Hermione's lips parted to speak, but Draco beat her to it. "You got to hear her first word; see her first step. Let me be the one to teach her how to fly. I can't promise you she won't fall, but I'll be right there to heal her if she does."

She swallowed hard and gave a deep sigh before nodding her head. "Alright."

He smirked and took off out the door before she could stop him. Guilt kept her rooted to the spot, watching as he caught up to the three of them at the makeshift Quidditch pitch. "Hermione, dear?"

She forced herself to move to the kitchen. "Want some help?" she asked seeing Molly prepping for dinner.

"I would love some," she said, nodding towards the window. She could see them from where she stood and heard laughter carried on the wind. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, eyes glued to Elara hovering in the air at Draco's waist, his hands on her to keep her steady. "I don't really know what to do."

Molly came to stand next to her, watching the sight out the window as well. Her hand sought Hermione's and she squeezed gently in reassurance. "You do what's best for her," she said, voice soft. "It's all you can do."

Hermione smiled and turned to hug the Weasley matriarch. "Thank you, Molly."

A shriek cut through the air and she whirled her attention back to the window. Molly laughed and wrapped her arm around Hermione, squeezing tight. "Looks like you might have another Ginny on your hands!"

Hermione paled at the thought, but couldn't help but feel the tug at her heart when Draco's gaze drifted up to hers as he brought Elara's broom to a stop and lifted her in the air in celebration.

* * *

Draco even came back with them to Grimmauld after dinner. He had been the one to pick her up shortly after eating and she promptly passed out in his arms, signaling their time to depart. Back at home, Hermione led him upstairs to Elara's room and watched as he tucked her in to bed. After bidding her goodnight as well, they stepped out into the hall, pausing at the sight of Harry coming out of the shared loo.

"So…uh, Malfoy-"

"I told her everything, Potter."

Harry turned a brilliant shade of red and shoved his glasses up his nose again. "Something you and I will discuss later," she said.

"Great," he replied, sarcasm heavy in his tone. "I'll be in my room. All I ask is that you use silencing charms. Elara might sleep like the dead, but I do not."

Hermione took a menacing step forward, but Harry grinned and ran into his room, shutting the door before she could reach him. When she turned back around, she met Draco's gaze for a moment before they both looked away and laughed under their breath. When she looked up again, she tipped her head to indicate he should follow and led him back down to the living room.

They only made it to the top of the stairs before he reached for her hand and pulled it up to his chest. "Thank you, Hermione. For finally talking to me and letting me have today with her."

She nodded and brought her other hand up to rest on top of his. "I know it'll be complicated, but you're welcome to spend as much time with her as you want. Either here or at the Burrow, anyway."

Sadness softened his gaze as he nodded slowly. "The less time I spend around her, the better. At least until I deal with Astoria."

She nodded again. "I'm sorry, Draco. Watching you with her… I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," he said, moving one hand to her face to wipe away her tears. "It was my fault."

"I'm not letting you take all the blame, Draco." He simply shrugged and she leaned into his touch. "About her first steps and all that stuff," she said, taking a deep breath. "Would you like to see it? Any memory you want, just ask and I'll gladly show them to you."

"I appreciate that," he said, lifting one of her hands up, brushing his lips over her knuckles. "Some other time."

"Some other time," she repeated, swallowing hard as his lips moved to the inside of her wrist. He held her gaze as continued up her arm, tugging her closer until she was pressed between him and the wall at her back. She bit her lip to stifle a moan as his lips found the spot behind her ear, unable to stop the shiver that ran the course of her spine. "Draco…"

"Hermione…"

His voice was low, pleading, like a man trapped in the desert and she was the only obstacle between him and an oasis. His hands flattened on her hips, knee wedged between her thighs.

"We can't," she whispered, her voice barely a whisper. "You're married."

"Not for long," he murmured, nipping at her earlobe.

"You've been trying to get out of your marriage since we started this," she reminded him, hands placed on his shoulders, half pushing him away, half holding him in place.

"I will," he breathed, hands moving up until she could feel the tips of his fingers beneath her breasts. "I mean it. I don't deserve you, Hermione. I never did. I messed up big time by not doing better or trying harder. I'll understand if you won't give me a second chance, but I'm still leaving Astoria. Whatever it takes."

Her reply came out as a groan as he moved again, palming her breasts. Her nipples pebbled from the touch and rubbed against the fabric of her bra. She could feel his arousal on her thigh and couldn't stop herself from rolling her hips over his knee, the friction sending a jolt to her core and dampening her knickers.

She squirmed against him, despite the fact that it only heightened the tension between them. She tugged at his hair until he lifted his head to look her in the eye. "I meant it when I said I don't want to be someone's mistress. I want you, Draco. All of you. If you want me too, then this can't happen again until I can have all of you to myself."

Slowly, almost begrudgingly, Draco gave her a nod and moved his hands back down to her waist. Once his leg withdrew from between her thighs, he dropped his forehead to hers, their breaths mingling in the space between them. "Gods, I want you."

"Consider it motivation."

He let out a breathy laugh. "Oh, I'm motivated." His fingers flexed on her hips. "I suppose I've waited this long," he muttered. "It won't hurt to wait a little longer. Merlin knows you're worth it."

She laughed with him, her fingers playing with the fabric of his shirt as she moved her hands from his shoulders to his chest. "We were good at that, weren't we?"

"Mhmm," he hummed, his lips ghosting over hers. "Exceptional, if memory serves."

He pressed his lips fully against hers, nipping at her lips and swiping his tongue after to soothe the bites. He was begging for entry, but Hermione knew once she granted his request, she wouldn't be able to stop. Instead, she turned her head away and took a deep breath. "You should go," she whispered.

He lingered a bit longer, pillowing their lips together once more before pulling away. She followed him downstairs to the fireplace. They were both silent as he stepped onto the grate. With a slight nod, he gave the address for the Manor, and disappeared in a flash of green.

Once he was gone, Hermione felt her resolve fading. By the time she made it upstairs, her emotions had gotten the better of her, threatening to break her down. Just as she thought she would cave, Harry was there, drawing her into his arms and then into his room. He left the door open as they laid down. He held her as she sobbed onto his chest above the covers. He continued to hold her after the sobs stopped and she drifted off to sleep.

He was still holding her when he woke the next morning to the sound of Elara opening her door across the hall. Only then did he extract himself from Hermione and close the door as he took the toddler downstairs for breakfast.


	7. Chapter 7

**SEVEN**

Hermione was plating up Elara's lunch when the Floo roared to life in the other room. For a moment she went still, but relaxed upon hearing Ron's voice call out her name. "Kitchen!" she called back to him. A few seconds later, he was walking in the door. "Should have known it was you since it's lunch time," she teased as he dropped a kiss to her cheek before taking a seat at the table.

"It was either here or the Burrow."

"Katie doesn't feed you?" she asked with laughter as she grabbed a third plate for him.

"Oh, her cooking is way better than yours," he joked, holding up both hands in mock surrender when she narrowed her eyes at him. "But she's working today."

"What was Molly doing?"

He grinned like a kid caught raiding the cookie jar. "She and Ginny were doing something."

"Ah, so last choice was me," she replied, pretending to be hurt. "It's like Sixth Year all over again, Ronald."

His grin faltered and he sighed. "Not funny."

"If I can laugh about it, so can you," she chided, giving him a smile before pointing to the ceiling. "Will you get Elara for me?"

"Don't trust me with the food?"

Her entire body shook with laughter. "Oh no, I've learned that lesson already."

He grinned again and got to his feet. "Be right back," he said and disappeared from the room.

She distantly heard Elara's happy scream at the sight of Uncle Ron followed by another shriek when it was announced that it was time to eat. By the time she had their three plates setting themselves on the table, Ron came back, ducking low through the door since Elara sat on his shoulders.

"Mumma, fly!"

"Good luck, Kid. You mum is never getting on a broom unless it's life or death," Ron said as he plopped the toddler into a chair. "Trust me, that's the last time I saw her on one."

Hermione rolled her eyes as she sat at the head of the table while Ron took the seat next to Elara. "If I'd have had my way, she would never be on a broom ever."

"Maybe you shouldn't have slept with a Quidditch player," Ron quipped as he stuffed his mouth.

"Ron!"

"What?" he asked, swallowing the bite with a drink of water. "She doesn't understand."

"Still, I would prefer not to teach her that until it's absolutely necessary. And I don't want to mention _him_ until things have settled."

"Yeah, about that."

She stared at him for a moment and tapped her fingers on her glass. "What?"

"I just don't understand why you don't have her arrested. She took your memories without permission, Mione. She threatened to hurt you if you regained them. You're lucky she went that route instead of just flat out cursing you with something worse. I'm sure Harry can do the arresting himself if you ask him."

Hermione shifted in her seat and glanced at Elara, smiling at the way the toddler just looked back and forth between them as they spoke. "I know."

"Then why don't you?" he pressed. "For that matter, why didn't Malfoy? He knew for three bloody years and yet he's still married to the bit-"

"Ron," she warned.

He smiled apologetically and ruffled Elara's hair, making her laugh. "Whether he was in love with you at the time or not, he should have reported her then. If he cared about you at all, he should have done something. I guess he hasn't changed that much."

"He has-"

"Not really. Not if he stayed silently by her side all this time. To me it says he cares a whole lot more about his vault than he does about you. Both of you."

Hermione frowned and dropped her gaze to her plate. Ron hadn't said anything she hadn't already thought about in the dark of her room when she couldn't sleep. He was voicing everything she had ever wondered since disappearing the day she found out she was pregnant.

"Honestly, Mione. You're worth all the Galleons in Gringotts and if he's only just now seeing that, is _he_ worth it? I just wish you believed me when I tell you that you deserve better."

A strange sense of calm and clarity settled over her and she found herself smiling lightly at him. "I believe you, Ron, I do."

"But?"

She shrugged a little, trying not to let her smile get too big. "Gods help me because I don't understand it myself, but whether he deserves me or not, I want him as much as he wants me." She reached for her water as heat bloomed over her cheeks. "I think a part of me did since it all started, but I didn't want to cause trouble for something that was so new."

Ron sighed and shook his head, but gave her a small smile regardless. "Well, then he needs to man up and stop being such a prat."

"He's working on it," she assured him.

He studied her for a moment and she shifted under his gaze. "Do you love him?"

She went still before meeting his gaze. "I think so," she answered quietly.

He muttered something under his breath and raked a hand down his face. "Are you sure you can't just date Harry for real? That would be easier on my stomach, I think."

Her eyes widened a moment before she roared with laughter. Her entire body shook and she had to wipe tears from her eyes. "Sorry, Ron. That's only temporary and it'll be over soon so long as all goes well."

Ron shook his head while laughing as well. "So long as you're happy, I guess. Just promise me if something _does_ go down that you won't leave me out of it."

"Promise," she replied and leaned forward to wipe Elara's messy face knowing she was two seconds away from sliding off her chair to run away from the table. "I'm going to put her up for nap. Will you stay and watch a movie with me?"

"Sure. I'm picking it."

"Fine, but you have to load the player," she said, smiling smugly as his face paled and then narrowed with determination. She flicked her wand to start cleaning up and then got to her feet to take Elara upstairs. As usual, she was asleep in Hermione's arms before they even made it to the top of the stairs.

* * *

One of Hermione's favorite additions to Diagon Alley since her return was a new bookshop. Once Upon a Bookstore was run by a Halfblood couple around her parents age and not only did they have endless places to cozy up and read, they also had a kids section. One that muffled all the ruckus they made and had a magical barrier to where the child could only leave with the parent that put them there. To make it even harder to leave the store, there was even a small café. If it wasn't for Elara, Hermione would have moved in and never left.

As it was, she took Elara there a few times a week. Usually before she met Harry for lunch so that her naps afterwards would last even longer and Hermione had time to do other things. Though, if she were honest with herself, were spent reading whatever she purchased before meeting Harry.

Since she had been back for quite a few weeks now, the owners, Keston and Allie Farview, knew her and Elara by name and often made her first cup of coffee free. The best part about it was that it was off the beaten path so the vultures from the Prophet had been late in realizing she hung out there. By the time they saw her enter one day, the novelty of her return had already stared to wane.

So as time wore on, her visits were less about hiding and more about relaxing; finally feeling at home surrounded by all the books. Each and every time she sat among the stacks, she wondered if Headmistress McGonagall would let her visit the castle just to peruse the library like old times. She was sure her old Head of House wouldn't mind in the slightest.

So lost in a book a few days after her talk with Ron, she didn't notice someone taking the seat next to her until she heard someone clear their throat. She jumped slightly and hooked her finger around the page to mark her place. She did a double take at the sight of Lucius in the chair and immediately shifted as far away from him in her seat as she could.

"Mister Malfoy?"

The corners of his lips twitched, but he never let the smile take place. "Hello, Miss Granger. It is nice to see you again."

"I wish I could say the same."

"I assure you, this conversation would go much easier if you didn't feel the need to lie. Even for the sake of pleasantries."

"And what conversation would that be? I don't believe I have anything to say to you."

"Good, then you can listen. I believe I have plenty to say for the both of us."

Hermione's eyes flickered towards the playroom that she always made sure to keep in her line of sight. She could see Elara playing with the two other children beyond the barrier, but the sight didn't ease her overworking heart in the slightest. "Make it quick. I have somewhere to be."

"Yes, you look awfully hurried reading whilst you sip at your coffee," he said, this time allowing himself to smirk at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't speak. "I forget, Miss Granger, where was it that you ran off to again?"

"Canada," she answered, her voice tight.

"Did you support yourself while you were there or did Mister Potter take care of you then as he does now?"

"I don't see how this is any of your business."

"I'm simply trying to assess your needs so that you cannot pass up my offer."

"What offer?"

He balanced his cane on his leg and reached into his coat pocket. He produced a small sack with the Gringotts logo on it and then used his wand to enlarge it to its normal size. "Inside is a fair sum of ten thousand Galleons, though I am agreeable to more if that's what it takes."

Hermione removed her finger from her book and snapped it closed before nearly slamming it down on the table. "I don't want your Galleons."

"You may not, but consider your daughter," he said, holding her gaze. "My granddaughter."

Hermione's breath caught in her throat as fear coursed through her veins. She was frozen in her seat as were whatever words she had been hoping to say to tell him off.

"My wife once told me about a tapestry in the ancestral House of Black. I believe you currently live there. Have you seen it?" he asked, adding a deadly curve to his lips. "The Malfoy's have something similar; a book. Every time a Malfoy is born, a page gets added with details of their parents and their blood status; even the location of their birth." He took a deep breath and tapped his fingers along the edge of the table. "The moment I saw her picture in the Prophet, I knew she was of my lineage. Even with her darkened hair, she looks just like an aunt of mine. I checked the book and there she was. Elara Jean Malfoy, though I believe her Muggle birth certificate shows you used your own surname. On all wizarding documentation she will show up as a Malfoy. Even when she gets her Hogwarts letter."

Hermione's eyes went wide.

"If you didn't want anyone to know, Miss Granger, you should have stayed away. Whatever it was that made you leave, I suggest you remember it, take my offer, and leave."

"Or what?" she asked, finding her voice.

"Or I will do everything in my power to make sure that a Malfoy is raised by a Malfoy."

Her fear gave way to anger in an instant and her fingers twitched with the urge to reach for her wand. "You think the Ministry would allow you to take _my_ daughter from me, Lucius?"

"Despite your status in our world, Miss Granger, and your connection to Mister Potter, there are ancient laws set in place for this kind of thing. For bastard children born to mistresses out of wedlock. Laws that, despite who you are, are set too deep to allow exceptions." He leaned forward a little, a smug look on his face. "I have been playing the political game far longer than you have been alive, Miss Granger. Either you leave with Elara and never come back or so help me, I will show you that you cannot win everything just by dropping the name of Harry Potter."

Hermione got to her feet, the scraping of her chair drawing attention their way. Her hands were balled into fists at her side as she scowled at him. "I don't want your money," she proclaimed, trying to keep her voice steady though her body trembled fiercely. "And I'm not leaving. I know this is about not wanting Draco to tarnish his reputation with a divorce scandal or the fact that the mother of his child is a Muggleborn, but if you do this, you'll lose. And not just getting custody of my daughter; you'll lose your son too." She straightened her spine and squared her shoulders. "Have a nice day, Mister Malfoy."

With a deep breath, she forced herself to walk to the play area and fetch Elara. Once she was safely in her arms, she hurried to leave the building and went straight home to send two owls. One to Harry to tell him she wouldn't be coming by for lunch and the other to Draco to tell him they had to talk immediately.

* * *

She had debated over and over again on whether or not they should meet at Grimmauld, but in the end, decided it was best to meet elsewhere. It wasn't the same bar they met at before, but it was still a great distance away from prying eyes. It was even attached to a hotel where she already had a room reserved under a false name. One that she had already warded so that they could talk without worry of being overheard.

Ultimately, it was the unknown time frame of when she could expect him that made her choose this over Grimmauld. She didn't want to cause any uproar over taking Elara to the Burrow last minute. She hadn't even fully told Harry about her encounter with Lucius. She told him enough so that he would agree to watch Elara since she didn't want to talk to Malfoy anywhere where there was even the slightest chance she might hear something. She had given Harry the location of their rendezvous and assurance that she would not be staying the night.

No matter how much she wanted to.

Her talk with Ron and forced her to deal with facts she had been ignoring. Facts such as the entire four months they had been getting together, they hardly ever talked. There was occasional banter at the bar for that drink they both needed to calm their nerves, but they never spoke of anything real. Even that had stopped altogether near the end. She wanted him; she knew that, but she was having a hard time reasoning why great sex was enough start an entire relationship.

Then there was the fact that it was only because she came back that he was pushing harder for his divorce. He had told her that he would fix it all, but she remembered when Astoria had asked if she was worth the gold in his vaults. She distinctly remembered the silence that followed in lieu of an actual answer.

She often wondered if Elara wasn't in the picture, would she even be considering Malfoy as an option. What if she only wanted him for the wrong reasons. Just because he was the father of her child didn't mean he had to be a prominent role in Hermione's life. They didn't have to be together for him to see his daughter. Sure, he had said all of those things when he came to Grimmauld; things about how she was worth the gold and he regretted not trying harder, but she couldn't help but wonder if he wasn't using this as an opportunity to finally be free of Astoria. If it were even possible at this point.

The only things she knew of that they had in common were great sex, their intellect levels, and their daughter.

Was it enough to try for something real? Was it enough to take that leap of faith and weather the storm that was sure to follow when the truth came out? Or was Lucius' deal the best way to protect her daughter after all. Everything really had been simpler far away from here.

From him.

She slammed back the shot of whiskey the moment the bartender set it down in front of her and signaled for another one. "A double, please," she added.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Malfoy asked as he came to stand beside her where she sat at the bar. He eyed the trio of shot glasses already emptied before her and frowned.

"'S fine," she muttered, snatching the shot from the bartender before Malfoy could take it away. "Another, please."

"Do not get her any more," Malfoy ordered, his voice stern with command. He placed some cash atop the counter. "Keep the change," he said to the bartender before gently reaching to help Hermione to her feet. "Come on, let's go."

"I got 's a room."

He stiffened as she leaned against him for support. It had been awhile since she'd drank that much and it was hitting her harder than ever before. Then again, each one had been a double so even on a good day, this would have been a lot to handle. He led her to the lifts and held her close while they waited for one to come down to the lobby. He was quick to get them into it before anyone else could join them. "What floor?" he asked.

"Six?" she said, though it came out as more of a question.

He pressed the button and then propped her up against the wall. He fished for something inside his blazer and she recognized the vial as Sober Up. She groaned in protest, but didn't truly fight him as he tipped it to her lips. She swallowed it down and sighed when he returned the empty vial to his pocket. By the time they got to the room, it was taking effect and she could feel her mind clearing as if she hadn't had anything to drink at all.

"Thank you," she said once they were inside the room.

He inclined his head and looked around at the interior of the room. "Not that I don't love the nostalgia, but you've got me worried, Granger. What's wrong?"

She swallowed hard and wrapped her arms about herself as she focused her gaze on the little bench at the foot of the bed. "Your father."

She could feel the anger seeping out of him along with his magic as the air thickened and sparked between them. "What about my father?" he asked slowly, as if trying to force himself to remain calm.

"He found me in Diagon and made me an offer," she started, closing her eyes before recanting her encounter with the elder Malfoy. While she spoke, he had taken to pacing before the bed. Even after she finished, he continued to stride back and forth; alternating between rubbing his chin and carding quivering fingers through his hair. "Will you say something please?"

He stopped and finally turned his gaze upon her, one that she met this time. "You're thinking about taking his offer," he said after a moment of studying her.

Her silence was worse than admitting it aloud.

He reached for her and she stepped back. His hands dropped to his side and she looked away as hurt darkened the grey of his irises. "I thought we talked," he said after a moment. "I thought we wanted to try for something real. That we wanted more from one another."

"We did," she whispered. "We do, but I've had time to think since then."

"So that's it then," he began, irritation clear in his voice. "My father throws endless Galleons at your feet, threatens you-"

"It wasn't _me_ he threatened!" she snapped. "He threatened to take my daughter away from me. I looked up the laws he was referring to, Malfoy and as fucked up as it is, he could actually do it. I would rather be known as a coward for running away again with my daughter than stay here and watch her be taken from me."

"Our." The word was nothing more than a deep breath in the quiet of the room. " _Our_ daughter, Granger." He advanced slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. She held her ground, but couldn't keep herself from inhaling sharply or stop the trembling. "Don't run," he begged, "Please. Let me fix this. I promise no one will be taking her from you. Not now, not ever."

Her lids fluttered closed when his forehead dropped to hers and his hands settled on her hips. "Ron asked me if I loved you," she whispered, their breath mingling in the space between them. "And I didn't know until then that I did." She drew in a shaky breath and slowly brought her hands up to his chest. "I love you and I'm not sure how that happened when we've hardly ever carried a conversation."

Air puffed between his lips and it took her a moment to realize it was a small laugh. He tightened his hold on her hips and pulled her closer, his head moving so that his cheek pressed to hers, his lips near her ear. She shivered as he spoke. "I would have fallen in love with you even if you had never said a single word to me." Her fingers gripped the material of his shirt and her body arched into his. "I loved you even when I hated you; I just didn't know it until I saw you in that bar."

That was all it took.

The next thing she knew, she was gasping as her back hit the wall. His body pushed against hers as his mouth slanted over hers, stealing her breath entirely. Their hands were everywhere, pulling, tearing, freeing; no article of clothing was safe as the need to feel one another overpowered all other senses. Draco's tongue continued to war with Hermione's as she hurriedly stepped out of her clothes. Free of her trousers, she yelped into his mouth at the sound of her knickers tearing and without a moment to catch her breath, he was pulling her to so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

No sooner had they settled into place did he fill the space between her thighs, fully joining them together at long last.

In the moment he stilled to let her adjust to him, he reached for her right hand and twined their fingers together. He brought it over her head and held it there while he braced his other forearm against the wall beside her. Her free hand gripped at his shoulder while she tipped her head back when his lips fell to her neck.

They moved in unison. She met his thrusts with her own and each of her pleas was followed by his subsequent groans. She hadn't slept with anyone since their last encounter. She hadn't fully healed from giving birth until Elara was nearly six months old. She had been hit on a few times, but she never reciprocated the feelings. The only time she ever felt anything was when she thought she saw a flash of platinum among the crowd.

"I missed this," he groaned into the curve of her shoulder. "I missed you." She cried out as he nipped at her skin. "Missed _us._ "

Her lips parted to say that she missed them too, but whatever came out of her mouth wasn't coherent in the slightest. Instead, she lost herself to the increase in the pace of his thrusts and the building pressure in the depths of her core. " _Draco_ ," she panted, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. "Gods, I'm so close."

He suckled at her skin hard enough she knew there would be a bruise the next day. His hips jerked erratically and his groans turned to grunts. "Come for me," he demanded, his breath hot on her neck. "Come with me."

She cried out as she crested, a string of nonsense falling from her lips. He buried his face in the curve of her shoulder as he slammed into her a final time. She could feel him twitching within her as her inner walls clutched, milking down every bit of his release.

He released his hold on her hand above them and they clung to one another while they panted for air. It wasn't until he softened and slipped from her core that they began to detangle themselves. He helped her to stand by slowly lowering her legs back down to the ground. He kissed her; nothing more than a gentle pillowing of their lips, but he kept it going until he couldn't and pulled back so they could clean up and redress.

She gave him a small smile as he tucked a cluster of curls behind her ear and brushed his lips across the tip of her nose. "I have an idea, but it will involve my mother. Will you let me talk to her?"

"You think she'll help?"

"I know she will," he assured her, his hand lingering against her cheek, thumb brushing her skin. "Please don't run away again, Granger."

She gave a slight nod and leaned into his touch. "I won't," she promised.

He pulled her close and pressed his lips to her temple. "I'll send an owl once I've talked to her and we can figure out when and where to discuss the outcome." She nodded against his palm and he sighed, his breath tickling her skin. "I love you."

"I love you too," she murmured. After a moment, she pulled away with a sigh of her own. "I should go," she whispered.

This was harder than the night Elara had been conceived. The night that was supposed to be their last time. But just as she had then, she found the strength now to Apparate away.

* * *

Not even a few moments after landing in her room at Grimmauld did she hear a knock. She didn't have to say anything before Harry opened the door and peered around it. "You okay?" he asked.

She smiled softly and gave a nod before joining him in the hall. "I just need a minute and then we can talk," she said as she stopped moving once in front of the door to the loo.

"Hermione?" he called softly. She turned towards him and blushed under the knowing stare he gave her. "I know you said you would tell me everything, but I think you can spare me a few details, yeah?"

She cleared her throat and looked away, heat searing her skin from within. As her lips parted to defend herself, he held up a hand and shook his head. "You're adults; you do what you want, but you need to be more careful, Mione." His gaze drifted to where she knew Elara's door was behind her. "If you're not, you could end up with _another_ love child. Then you're both back right where it all started."

Hermione sighed, her fingers tapping against the wooden door. "Then I suggest you stop talking to me so I can do what I can to prevent that before it really is too late."

She smirked as he paled and grimaced. "On that note," he said and disappeared downstairs without another word.


	8. Chapter 8

**EIGHT**

It was too late when Draco arrived home from speaking to Hermione for him to speak to his mother. He waited until the following day when Astoria and his father had left the Manor. Whatever it was that either of their days entailed, he found he couldn't care less. So long as it kept them out long enough for him to tell his mother everything. As he made his way through the Manor to the gardens, he thought of exactly how he should approach her. While he was confident she would be on his side, there was a small portion of him that couldn't help but worry that he was wrong.

"Ah, Draco, just the son I was hoping to see," she said as he rounded the corner to the gardens.

His brow lifted along with the corner of his mouth. "As opposed to all of your other sons?" he teased, dropping a kiss to her cheek. "What can I do for you, Mother?"

She smiled and gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Nothing you can do, I was just hoping you would grace me with your presence," she said. Her smile dropped as she studied him. "Though I hadn't hoped to see you in such plight. What's wrong, my dragon?"

He took a deep breath reached into his pocket to produce the book that catalogued the Malfoy family lineage. He enlarged it to its normal size and watched as her eyes flickered to it and then widened as she looked back at him. "There is something I need to discuss with you. Something I should have told you long ago."

"Does this have to do with Miss Granger's child?"

His entire body went rigid for a moment before his brow furrowed.

She smiled softly and took the book from him. "I've had my suspicions, Draco. Neither of you are as clever or discrete as you may like to believe."

Heat crept up to his face and he reached up to rub the back of his neck while his mother cracked open the book. He watched as she stared down at the page detailing his daughter's heritage. When she looked back up at him, he did a double take at the glass like shine of her eyes.

"Is this why she left?"

"Part of it," he replied, a tight smile to his lips as she traced her finger over Elara's name. "Before I tell you any more, I need to know how you feel about having a Halfblood grandchild. One with a Muggleborn mother."

Narcissa was slow to close the book and hand it back to him. As he shrunk it and returned it to his pocket, her smile had turned somewhat wistful. "You and I both learned the hard way that where your magic comes from means nothing. It's what you do with it that determines what type of witch or wizard you become."

He couldn't stop the snort that puffed from his nostrils. "If only father had learned that lesson."

Narcissa's eyes hardened as she stared at Draco. "What has he done now?"

"If you have any plans for the afternoon, now would be the time to cancel them," he suggested before calling for a House Elf. He instructed for them to bring tea for two to the patio and gestured for his mother to follow him to their usual spot. "I have quite a bit to tell you, Mother."

* * *

Hermione paced the living room, anxiously wringing her hands as she waited for the Floo to activate. Draco's message had been vague. He had told her he'd spoken to his mother and that he wanted a chance to speak with her. There was no mention of her wanting to see Elara and Hermione wasn't sure what to make of that. Nor was there any reassurance that she was on their side and not coming to take her away. Hermione knew that in reality, if Draco had even thought it was a good idea to bring his mother to her home, that she would be on their side. That it was just her nerves getting the best of her and making her fear the worst.

Her heart leapt into her throat as the Floo roared to life, green coloring the room as Narcissa Malfoy stepped out of the flames. Draco followed her and immediately reached for her hand, squeezing it as if to say everything was okay. She hadn't realized that such a simple touch could convey so much, but she felt her nerves calm just enough.

"Mother, this is-"

Narcissa scoffed and bat playfully at his shoulder, an action that Hermione hadn't expected. "I know who she is Draco. There is no need for introductions, isn't that right, Miss Granger?"

Hermione gave a curt nod. "Yes, Missus Malfoy."

"Narcissa, please."

"Narcissa," she repeated, the name strange on her tongue. She let her gaze wander to Draco for a moment before settling back on his mother. The Malfoy matriarch was looking around the room, a childlike wonder in her eyes. It took a moment for Hermione to recognize the look and her body relaxed. "Harry had it remodeled."

Narcissa's smile was light. "It was high time. As I recall, this place was rather dark and dreary."

Hermione's mind conjured up images from the first time she had set place in Grimmauld. All the layers of dust and various small creatures lurking in every corner. "I could give you a tour if you'd like?" Hermione offered. "You're also more than welcome to have a look around if you'd like to do so on your own."

"I appreciate that, dear," she said, peering down the hall at that lead to the front door. "Did he keep that portrait of my dear aunt Walpurga?"

Hermione's groan was involuntary, as was the flinch of her hands wanting to cover her ears. It had been years since she'd been screamed at for defiling the "Ancient and Noble House of Black with her filthy, muddy, blood," but she had heard it enough to warrant such a reaction. At least the silencing charms held their own for some time, only needing to be replaced every few months. "Unfortunately, the sticking charm that someone placed is hard to get rid of."

"Harder than the Dark Lord?"

Draco's jaw dropped in astonishment at his mother's question, but Hermione saw the twinkle in her eyes and couldn't help but let the corners of her lips lift. "Harder, it seems."

Narcissa gave a nod of approval. "I should love a house tour, but we should save that for the end. Perhaps another day entirely. May I?" she asked, gesturing at the arm chair. When Hermione nodded, she sat and poised herself in a way that made Hermione straighten her spine where she stood. "Now that my son has told me everything, I believe I have some things to say to you, Miss Granger."

"Hermione, please," she said, taking a seat on the couch nearest Narcissa. Draco sat next to her, but kept his hands in his lap.

"Let me preface this conversation by saying a few things," Narcissa started, earning a nod from Hermione. "As a Pureblood, you grow up learning certain ideals. Ideals that, unfortunately, are not easy to go against. I realized far too late that it was wrong to have raised my son in such an environment, but it pleases me greatly to know that he has forsaken those beliefs.

"I want you to know that while my husband refuses to accept that times have changed, that I do not share those sentiments. I let a monster into my home and he nearly destroyed my family with his rubbish ideals of blood purity. He wasn't even a Pureblood himself, but he was convincing. I have made mistakes, but I want you to know that I do harbor regrets. Regrets for the way my family has treated you, Hermione. But I want you to also know that no one of my blood will ever treat you that way again.

"I wish I could say the same for my husband, but he _has_ come a long way since the war ended. He is a creature of habit; choosing to cling to what he knows rather than roll with the tide, change, and adapt to the new ways of life. With time, he might open himself up to new possibilities, but I hope that you do not judge Draco or myself too harshly based on his actions."

Hermione gave a small nod and took comfort in Draco's leg pressed firmly against her own. Her eyes widened when Narcissa leaned forward to slide her hand over Hermione's.

"Everything I've done, I've done for my son. Just as your decisions of late have been for your daughter." She tightened her hold on Hermione's hand and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to prevent tears from gathering at the gesture. It was the first time anyone had ever said they understood and truly meant it. "I wish Draco would have told me about Astoria sooner and I hope that you believe me when I tell you I already have an idea on how to make it right. It won't account for the years you spent hiding in fear, but it will be justice all the same."

"You don't-"

"I may not have been born a Malfoy, but that is who I am now. And so long as I bear the name, no woman who could do such a thing will carry it. Either way, it is high time Astoria pays for her crimes."

Hermione felt the panic surge. "But Lucius-"

Narcissa cut her off with a tut. "I love my husband, I do, but if he thinks he can simply offer Hermione Granger of all people money to run away, he has another thing coming to him. He may value status above all else, but when faced with either his son being divorced or himself, I assure you, he will make the right choice."

"Mother?"

She sat back in her chair, removing her hand from Hermione's in the process, and sighed. "I understand that you might not trust me, Hermione, but even if you were Muggle, so long as my son loves you, I will do anything to make him happy." She turned to gaze to Draco and Hermione tried not to do the same. "And you. The next time someone is attacked in that manner; do something. You would have thought some of her Gryffindor traits would have rubbed off on your during all that time of-"

" _Mother!"_

Hermione stared down at her lap, biting her lip to keep from smiling as her cheeks heated. From the corner of her eyes, Hermione could see Narcissa smiling brightly at the pair of them. And she thought Harry was good at embarrassing her for their time together.

Draco cleared his throat and shifted from beside her. "I told you should would be on our side."

Hermione looked up at him and smiled at the look of adoration on his face as he gazed back at her. She gave a nod and then turned to Narcissa once more. "You said you had a plan for Astoria?"

She inclined her head. "I do. I was hoping to speak with Mister Potter first."

Her eyes widened a touch at that. "He won't be home for a little bit yet."

Narcissa smiled and got to her feet, Hermione and Draco following suit. "Then I should pop into the Ministry and speak with him there. I see no reason to let this sit any longer than it has to," she said, moving towards the Floo.

"What are-" Draco started.

She cut him off by pressing a kiss to each of his cheeks. "I expect you home soon where we can hash out specifics," she said to him and then turned to Hermione. "It was lovely to see you again, Hermione, though I had hoped to do so again under different circumstances. Expect an owl from Draco tonight with details."

Hermione nodded, her mind reeling from the encounter already. "I'm surprised you didn't ask to meet Elara."

Her smile was soft as she reached up to pat Hermione on the cheek. "Another time. When everything has settled I should very much like to meet my granddaughter. Now, however, is not the best time." With that, she grabbed a handful of powder and disappeared as she shouted for the Ministry.

Hermione blinked at the fireplace, still at a loss for how she felt.

"I'm sorry if-"

"Your mother is not what I expected," she interrupted, turning to face him. "But I'm glad she's on our side. What do you think she's planning?"

"Something cunning and airtight if I know my mother."

"How Slytherin," she drawled as she grinned while reaching up to place her hands on his chest.

He grinned back at her as his hands settled on her hips to pull her close. "Where's Elara?"

"Upstairs," she whispered as he leaned in. She gasped quietly when she felt the skirt of her dress being lifted. "Draco, she's going to wake up soon."

"How soon?" he asked, his lips having moved that spot at the back of her jaw. The one that made her head fuzzy and lowered her resolve.

Her arms slid around his neck instead of pushing him away like she had hoped they would. "We have to be quiet," she said in lieu of an answer.

His chuckle made his breath fan across her neck, a sensation that was followed by a nip of his teeth. "I can do quiet," he whispered. "Can you?" She answered with a moan, one that he had to swallow with a kiss to contain. The easiest thing would have been to cast silencing charms, but as he tugged her towards the kitchen, the time to do so had long passed.

They tumbled through the door and he pushed her up against the table. It made a scraping noise, but both of them were beyond caring. A small cry left her throat as he turned her around and bent her over the surface. She leaned on her forearms as he hiked her dress up and wasted no time in dragging her knickers down her legs. Once she stepped out of them, he guided her to spread her stance and she bit down on another moan as he pressed his face against her from behind.

She tossed her head back and moaned as quietly as she could as Draco's tongue swept between her folds, his nose nudging at her entrance. This was not what she had been expecting when he said he was bringing his mother over. She had expected him to leave with her, but now that he hadn't, she was glad.

Her entire body shook as his tongue worked sinful miracles on her. She was still feeling relaxed overall since their encounter the previous day, but to have him here doing this… It was more than she had been prepared for.

She moaned again, not caring about the volume as his hands palmed her rear, spreading her open even further. Her hips bucked and she slid effortlessly over him, earning a groan from him when she did. He rewarded the action by removing one hand only so he could push two fingers into her wet heat. Her palms flattened against the table and her nails dug into the wood as she ground against his fingers.

"Draco, please. Now. Fuck me now," she whined. Not that she really wanted him to stop, but she needed more.

He gave her clit a few more flicks of his tongue before he withdrew and stood behind her again. There was a few moments of fumbling as he freed himself and then a collective sigh as he filled her to the brim. "Gods I forgot how good you taste," he muttered as he set a brutal pace.

She moaned from the way he pounded into her as well as hearing him licking his lips clean. He reached for her, his hand curling gently around the curve of her shoulder and pulled her back. They both shuddered at the new angle and she reached her hand back to touch him. His hand came up even further until he placed his fingers in her mouth so she could taste herself too. She moaned at the taste and hummed as she licked his fingers clean.

He hissed and bottomed out, the action sending her back down onto the table. He looped an arm around her waist to adjust his stance and picked up the pace yet again, determined to push them both over the edge sooner rather than later. Given the time constraints, Hermione wasn't about to complain.

It was her orgasm that sparked his. The way her core clenched and pulsed around him, drawing every last drop of his essence further into her body. Finished, he collapsed at her back and placed wet, open mouthed kisses along her skin.

They both went still at the sound of the Floo from the other room, but it was Daphne's voice calling out for her that spurred them into action. "H-hang on!" she called as Draco slipped out of her with a groan and used his magic to clean them off. He tucked himself back into his pants and zipped up as she smoothed her skirts down. "My knickers?" she asked, unable to spot them.

"Those belong to me now," he said with a wolfish grin. "Better go before she comes in here and sees me."

"You can't Apparate. She'll hear it."

"I'll use the front door then," he said with a shrug. He pulled her in for a quick kiss and then gently pushed her towards the door.

She closed the door quickly behind her and smiled at Daphne. "Sorry to barge in unannounced, but I was hoping we could talk? I read a few of those books you suggested and now I have a hundred new questions and fears to match."

"Of course," she said and then gestured for her to follow. "There's some other books in the study. You can take what you want and then we can chat."

And they moved away from the kitchen, giving Draco an opportunity to leave. One he must have taken because by the time she went into the kitchen again, there was no trace of him other than the memories when she dared a glance at the table.

* * *

Lucius Malfoy was a powerful man who loved to play games. So much so, that he had made it his lifelong mission to line his pockets with secrets and reap the rewards from having them at all. It was how he was able to avoid punishment with the end of the first wizarding war and escape it again with nothing more than a slap on the wrist after the second.

But Lucius Malfoy had nothing on the likes of Narcissa Malfoy.

After she had let Draco in on her plans, his head was spinning. Not only had his mother just been informed of it all, but she had managed to come up with said plan and put it into motion in under twelve hours. Draco knew better than to cross his father, but now he would rather cross him than his mother.

With all the details nailed down, Draco sent an owl to Hermione. He put as much explanation as he could without saying too much and then retreated to his study as he did most nights. He poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey and stared off into space. Unlike all the previous nights where he would sit and think of Hermione with regret heavy on his heart, he was finally able to smile. He was even proud to say that not all of his thoughts were of how she felt when he sheathed himself inside of her.

This time, as he sat and let his thoughts run wild, he imagined what it would be like to not have to hide in her kitchen. To not have to wait until she led a surprise visitor away so he could cast silencing charms on his person just to slip out the front door. In fact, he wouldn't even have to leave at all. He would be able to touch her, hold her; publicly show off the fact that she was his. And that he was hers too.

He hadn't even wanted children until he had realized Elara was his. Now that he had her, he was longing for the day he could tell her the truth. He was sure having her call him some version of father might just beat Hermione telling her she loved him. He wasn't sure; he would have to wait and see. Either way, he couldn't wait to get to know either of them properly and no matter what happened next, he intended to make up for all those years apart. Forever if he had to.

When he finished his glass, having decided that one was enough, he vanished it to the kitchens and took his leave. He took his time getting to his room, hoping that Astoria was fast asleep so he didn't have to hear her voice. However, he knew his good fortune of the day had to run out eventually. Astoria was not only awake when he entered the room, but she was pacing as if waiting for him to join her.

He didn't like the gleam in her eyes as she smiled and made her way over to him. He simply watched as she approached, bracing for whatever she was about to drop in his lap. "I'm sorry I missed dinner."

He smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest and tipped his head to the side. "Wherever you were, it must have been important to keep you out all day. Perhaps you found a lover after all?"

Her eyes dimmed slightly, but she kept the smile on her face. "I was with my mother," she informed him, her voice tight.

"You'll never find one if you spend all your time with your parents," he quipped, moving away from her to get his night clothes.

Her sigh was loud as she turned to watch him. "I stayed longer because I was debating on how best to tell you my news."

He knew it was bait, but he rose to it anyway. "What news?"

Her smile stretched. "I found the timing rather perfect considering Saturday my parents will be joining us and yours for dinner. I considered surprising you as well, but I don't think I can go that long without telling _someone_."

He abandoned his rifling of the drawer and turned towards her. "What news, Astoria?" he repeated, his voice biting.

He tracked the movement of her hands as they reached up to settle over her abdomen. His entire body tensed and he felt his blood draining from his face, leaving him paler than he already was. He had even forgotten how to breathe for a moment, but as his gulped for air, his eyes jumped to hers.

Her smile was cold as she nodded. "Congratulations, Draco. You're going to be a father," she said and chuckled. "Again. Only this time to a true, Pureblood heir."

He was at a complete loss for words as he calculated how long it had been from that day in the bathroom to now. If it was true, it would have had to been that encounter since the one before that had been _months_ prior. All he could do was stare at her and see all the things he had just been thinking about slipping through his fingers.

"I thought you would be happy," Astoria said with a frown.

"You thought wrong," he snapped as he scowled at her.

Her frown curved up slightly as she shrugged. "However you feel about it, it's happening, Draco. And to think, just as our parents were starting to think we could never pull it off. Granted, I had hoped to do the surrogacy, but…"

He tuned out her rambling as he remembered her earlier words. That she wanted to announce it at the dinner with their parents that weekend. The dinner his mother had invited Hermione and Potter to. He clenched his jaw, decided that child or not, it changed nothing. The plan was still on.

He just had to tell Hermione before hand so she wasn't blindsided and thought the worst of him. Again.

The dread of telling her plagued him for the rest of the night as he lay atop the covers, staring at the ceiling, hoping for something that seemed even further from his grasp now than it had a few months before.


	9. Chapter 9

**NINE**

Having beaten Astoria to the punch, Draco shared the news with Narcissa the following morning. He hadn't slept a wink the night before and he didn't know if he ever would after learning of Astoria's condition. His mother, ever the one to come to his rescue, told him not to worry and that she would simply expand the guest list and make it a dinner party rather than a family affair. When she asked if she should still invite Hermione, he didn't know what to say.

He knew that he should tell her before she found out some other way. Before Astoria saw an opportunity to do what she did best and start something. So bright and early Saturday morning, he found himself standing in the living room at Grimmauld staring at Potter as he waited for Hermione to join them.

"Is something wrong?" she asked before even having descended the stairs all the way.

"No," he said and then sighed. "It depends on how you look at it."

Potter snickered under his breath, covering it up by coughing into his fist. "Does it have to do with tonight?" he asked.

He gave a nod and then narrowed his eyes at Potter. "I think this conversation is best had without you present."

"It's my house."

"Technically," Draco said with a smirk. "It's mine. I'm just choosing not to contest its current residents."

The humor in Potter's eyes extinguished and he looked back and forth between Draco and Hermione before sighing loudly. "Fine, but for the love of Merlin, do _not_ fuck on my sofa."

"Not that I wouldn't love to break in yet another piece of your furniture, we don't have time for that."

Hermione's face reddened as she looked down at the floor. Potter's jaw dropped as he grimaced at the two of them. "Another? What-"

"Might want to get a new dining table."

"Draco, enough," Hermione moaned of embarrassment, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Harry, can you check on Elara please? She should be up any minute."

"I'll be taking her out to breakfast, apparently."

Draco couldn't help himself as Harry began to ascend the stairs. "Might as well take her shopping for a table too." It was worth the hard stare he received from Hermione.

"Are you done?"

"It's far too early in the day for that."

"Is this why you came over unannounced before the sun has even fully risen yet? If so, you can come back later."

"No, sorry, you're right," he said, stepping forward when she started to turn away.

"Then what is it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

He hadn't even begun to try and tell her anything and he had already made her cross with him. His jaw clenched at his rotten luck as his mind tried to come up with the best scenario. Or at least one that wouldn't held with her hexing him or telling him she was leaving. Or worse. Maybe she would stay and tell him she was leaving him. And they hadn't even had a chance to be real.

"Draco?"

Her voice was soft as it stirred him from his thoughts, but he could tell by the crease in her brow and the look in her eye that she was worried. She had even started to curl her fingers around the hem of her shirt while she worried at her bottom lip. Something he had come to realize were signs of distress.

"Merlin, Hermione, this is harder than I thought. Just…" He took a deep breath. "Just know that this changes nothing, but what I have to…" Another breath. "Fuck."

"Draco, please-"

"Astoria's pregnant."

Had he not seen her breathe just a split second before, he would have sworn she was a statue. She stood there, completely frozen as she stared at him with lips parted and eyes wide in shock. When she did move, he braced himself for a fight, but was surprised by her reaction. Or rather, lack there of. "Oh," she breathed.

"Oh?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

Her eyes had misted and there was certain stiffness to her movements, but that was it. "She _is_ your wife. That requires certain…duties to perform. I never expected you to abstain."

He shuddered at the way her voice sounded. "It's not like that with her. There was one night where-"

"Don't," she said, holding up her hand. "I know how children are conceived."

He carded a hand through his hair, debating on whether or not to reach for her. "This changes nothing. I still want you and it was never because of Elara. Just like I won't want to stay with her because she's carrying my child now."

"It _does_ change things, Draco. I'm not her. I don't want to just go and ruin someone's life because they have something I want. Now there's a child involved. What if-"

"I'm not planning on ruining her life, Hermione. I'm planning on getting mine back. I'll take care of the child; whatever it takes. I would have done the same for Elara had I known about her." He frowned when she dropped her gaze to the floor. "Just as I would do now if you decide not to be with me after all. If you let me, that is."

Her lips parted again to say something and then closed.

"Go on, Granger. Yell at me. Hex me. Do _something_."

The faint trace of a smile on her lips made him even more confused than he had been a second ago. "How did you find this out?"

"She told me herself. The same night my mother came to speak with you."

Hermione simply nodded her head before tucking her hair behind her ears. "And you believe her. Completely."

"I've been harping on her to find a lover, but there was a night that I-"

Her hand came up again. "It's just awfully convenient that she's pregnant now."

It dawned on him what she was getting at and his worry turned to anger. "You think she's lying?"

She gave a small shrug. "I would hope not. I know she's not the best person, but…" She let her voice trail off and sighed. "It's the timing. I'm back in town. And even though you say you're being careful, I bet she knows we're spending time together. She knew everything before; it stands to reason she knows again now."

It was absolutely something she would do. And it grated on every last one of his nerves. The fact that she would use a child to try and keep her claws on his vaults. He would be adding that to the list of things to ask her later. When she couldn't say anything except the truth.

Elara's laughter carried down the stairs, drawing him to the present. "You should go," Hermione said, her voice soft.

"Are you still coming?" he asked with a nod. "I would understand if you didn't want to."

"I'll be there," she assured him. She surprised him by stepping forward and rising onto the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. "Thank you for telling me."

"I didn't want you to hear it from someone else. From someone who would have only said it to hurt you."

"I know," she whispered as she stepped back. "I'll see you tonight."

He did nothing but nod, watching as she turned towards the kitchen. He grinned to himself as the urge to follow her rose, but he was able to resist and Floo'd home instead. It was time to help get everything set for the night. Everyone was coming for dinner, but if everything went according to plan, they were in for quite a show.

* * *

He could feel the hatred coming off of Astoria in waves as Potter and Hermione greeted his mother. "What are they doing here?" she asked, venom in her voice.

"Mother invited them. Said Blaise requested it to make Ginny more comfortable."

The way her sneer turned to a smug smile made his skin crawl. "I suppose this works in my favor," she said. "Imagine Granger's face when she hears the news."

"If possible, I'm sure she'll care less than I do," he said, his voice clipped as to not snap at her. Astoria rolled her shoulders and went to move away, but his fingers curled around her wrist and yanked her back to his side. "Wife or not, this is still _my_ home. You will respect everyone in this room. Regardless of how you feel about them."

"Or what, Draco?" she challenged, smirking up at him as she yanked her arm out of his grasp. "You've already proven that you won't do a damn thing against me. I highly doubt you'll start now."

He seethed to himself as she walked away.

It was one thing to know he was a coward, but to hear Astoria of all people, say it aloud made him angry. Mostly at himself. He thanked the gods when a little bell chimed informing them that the elves were about to serve dinner. As he looked up, he had to keep himself from smirking when he caught sight of Hermione frowning at the sound of it.

Begrudgingly, he took a seat beside Astoria as the rest of them gathered around the table. He said nothing as chatter filled the room, most of it talk of Daphne, Theo, and their upcoming familial expansion. He tried his best to keep his eyes away from Hermione, but he found himself slipping up quite a few times.

It was after dinner that the plan started to come together. He watched Astoria sipping at her tea while she finished her dessert. It wouldn't be long now. When the plates had been cleared away, everyone stood and moved to a sitting room. Long ago they would have retreated a drawing room, but that room had been sealed shut.

The longer everyone stayed around chatting, the more Draco noticed Astoria fluster. If he didn't know any better, he would say she was panicking. "Everything alright?" Daphne asked her, having noticed it too.

"No."

"Didn't you have news you wanted to share with us tonight, darling?" her father asked.

Her eyes went wide and there was a split second of hesitation before she spoke. "There's no news to tell."

Her mother glanced at her with a furrowed brow. "Are you sure, Tori? You made it sound like such a big deal."

Astoria shook her head and looked at Draco. "It's okay, Astoria, I'll tell them," he said carefully. She froze when he moved to stand by her side. "She's pregnant." There. It was out there. He turned to her with a half smile. "Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"I'm not pregnant."

The entire room lapsed into silence except for Astoria's gasp as she brought her fingers to her mouth. He forced himself to frown as he stared down at her. "That's not what you told me the other night."

"I lied." She scowled at him, but he saw the panic in her eyes. "I can't get pregnant. I'm infertile."

The surprise on his face was genuine. He hadn't expected her to reveal so much. She must have been wanting to say that for a long time if the potion that had been in her tea made her say that. _Good_ , he thought, _it'll make the rest of her confessions quick_.

She shoved at Draco and looked around until her gaze settled on Hermione. "This is your doing, isn't it?"

"I would never lie about being pregnant," Hermione said, her voice steady.

"No. You would just run away to hide it from everyone."

It was over from there. Astoria had set herself up and realized it far too late.

"And why did I run, Astoria? Would you like to tell everyone what you did to me or should I?"

She struggled to keep herself from saying anything, but she lost in the end. She held nothing back. He watched both of their fathers carefully, noticing the way their reactions differed. Whereas Lucius looked bored instead of surprised and a little amused, Marcus looked angry. When it was over and she stopped talking, she placed a hand to her chest and greedily gulped for air.

She whirled on Draco. "She drugged me!"

"No dear, I did." Everyone's attention snapped to Narcissa. "And it was nothing more than Veritaserum. It was high time you told the truth and were held accountable for your actions."

"That potion is under Ministry control," Marcus said, his anger now directed at Narcissa.

"Which is why I asked for permission and invited Auror Potter for dinner. None of us would be here if it weren't for the two of them. While my son and Miss Granger made some poor choices, at least they didn't attack anyone else. The potion was administered as part of a formal complaint in which Astoria's testimony was needed."

Harry stepped forward, moving to arrest Astoria. "Hermione's already said she wants to press charges. Now that we have a confession, you won't have to wait long for sentencing."

She recoiled and clung to Draco, her nails digging into his forearm. "Wait! Draco, do something!"

"I don't have to do anything, Astoria," he said, prying her fingers off of him. "However, there is something _you_ can do."

She glared at him as her hands dropped to her side. "What?"

"I choose to look at it this way. You now have two choices. Go with Potter down to the Ministry under arrest and atone for what you did. Or," he started, a smirk on his lips. "Avoid scandal altogether and dissolve our marriage completely. I will take full responsibility for having an affair and your attack against a celebrated war heroine will remain out of the papers."

Astoria stood there, color having drained from her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. Slowly, she composed herself and stared at him with cold eyes. "You went through all these lengths just for some Mud-"

"Say that word and I'll make it so that you never recover from any scandal," he snapped. "This is something I should have done long ago, Astoria. I never should have married you. Regardless of if Hermione was in the picture at the time or not."

"Hang on," Marcus said after a moment. "Miss Granger's child is yours?"

"Yes," he and Hermione answered at the same time.

"That violates the contract. The only heirs-"

"Marcus, enough," Davina interrupted before looking at Hermione. "Miss Granger, I do sincerely apologize for what my daughter has done. That is not how she was raised." She turned to Draco. "She will be at the Ministry first thing Monday to dissolve the marriage. Come now, you've overstayed your welcome already," she added, reaching for her youngest daughter.

Astoria flinched away from her and drew her wand, aiming it at Hermione. Hermione was quick to counter, but Potter was even faster. " _Expelliarmus!_ " He caught Astoria's wand and sent Draco a scathing look. "Not a word out of you."

Despite the atmosphere of the room, Draco couldn't help the laughter that bubbled past his lips.

Potter gave the wand to Mrs. Greengrass who then grabbed hold of her daughter and dragged her to the Floo. Marcus was soon to follow and Daphne went after them, taking Theo with her. Zabini and Ginny made their exit next and soon, it was just him, Potter, Hermione, and his parents.

Draco strode across the room and pulled Hermione into an embrace so tight, he worried he might have choked her. When he released her, he kept his arm around her back and stared at his father. "I know that you offered her money to leave. I'm not proud of what I've done, Father, but I'm even less proud to be your son. When all of this is said and done, I'll be moving out of the Manor and you'll be lucky to see me again."

"Draco-"

"And don't you _dare_ threaten to take my child from her mother ever again. I think she'll be better off never knowing you." He turned towards his mother and inclined his head. "Lovely dinner, thank you."

"Goodnight, my dragon," she said before turning and leaving the room.

After a moment of staring, Lucius turned and followed her too.

"I'll see you at home," Harry said, giving Hermione's shoulder a squeeze.

"Maybe it's time you found a place for yourself too," he said as he pulled her into his arms again. "Or better yet, move in with me."

She laughed lightly and shook her head. "Why don't you get divorced first and then we can talk."

He couldn't help but laugh with her. "I suppose that's fair." Silence wrapped around them as she laid her head on his chest and continued to hold him. "Any chance I can convince you to stay?"

She shook her head against him and he sighed when she pulled back so she could see him. "This is your parents' home. You know… The one you share with your _wife_."

"Shared," he corrected. "And there's one room I know of for sure that she's never set foot in."

She rolled her eyes and laughed again, but still, she pulled away. "As tempting as that sounds, I still have to decline." She leaned back in enough to kiss his cheek, lingering there for a moment. "Come find me after the Ministry."

"You're going to make me wait?"

"Why not?" she asked, quirking her brow. "You made me wait."

"Touché."

He reached for her hand again and led her to the fireplace. He kissed her deeply, dragging it out for as long as possible, not wanting her to go. When his lungs burned with desperation for air, he broke the kiss and pulled away. "See you Monday."

"Monday," she whispered back.

He watched as she grabbed a handful of Floo powder and disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

* * *

With Harry at work to make sure everything went smoothly, Hermione went to the Burrow. Ron was already there waiting for her, but he wasn't alone. Daphne was sitting on the couch, wringing her hands in her lap nervously when she walked in with Elara. Ron took her to get something for breakfast, leaving the two women alone.

"For what it's worth, I never thought anyone could be worse than Pansy," Daphne said, a slight twinging smile on her lips. "Least of all my own sister. And she wasn't even in Slytherin."

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she took a seat on the opposite end of the couch. "It's over now."

"Sure, but that doesn't change what happened. She ran you out of town. Not even Vol-Voldemort did that."

The way she tripped over saying the name made Hermione soften. Daphne smiled proudly and sat a little straighter. "I know, but I wasn't pregnant then. I made a decision out of fear for my unborn child and I left."

Daphne nodded. "I can never apologize enough for what she did, Hermione. She doesn't deserve the kindness you showed her by not pressing charges. You have my mine and my mother's consent to do so."

She shook her head and reached over for Daphne's hand when she started to tremble. "Had I not run when I remembered what she did, I would have, but the time for that is gone. I'll never be able to let it go if it becomes a vicious cycle of who can hurt the other more."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why _Draco_?"

Hermione stared at her for a moment and then chuckled quietly. "Everyone's been asking me that a lot lately," she said and shrugged. "And I don't have an answer that will please everyone. He and I have a lot of our own reparations to go through."

"He might," she said with a snort and looked away. "But I guess that's your call."

Hermione hummed in agreement and squeezed Daphne's hand. "I'm not holding what Astoria did against you, Daph. I know we weren't friends at Hogwarts, but I've enjoyed getting to know you. That doesn't have to change."

"Thank Merlin," she muttered under her breath and sagged back against the couch, her hand slipping from Hermione's. "That will make it easier on Theo and Draco."

"I would never ask him to choose his friends over me."

"Good, because he's already proven he can't make good choices."

There was an awkward moment between them before they both laughed. "I suppose that's true. Would you like to have breakfast with us?"

"I would say no. That I've stolen enough of your time, but I'm starving."

Hermione got up and waited for Daphne to get to her feet as well. "The one thing you'll learn about the Weasley's is there will never be a shortage of food. You just might have to fight a little for it," she said as she led the other girl to the other room.

"Ron has another thing coming to him if he thinks my pregnant ass is going to back down for the last scone," Daphne mumbled, making Hermione laugh.

"What about me?"

"Nothing," Hermione was quick to say. Ron clearly didn't believe her, but made room for the two of them regardless.

* * *

Hermione looked up as Draco stepped through the grate of the Floo at the Burrow. She had asked Harry to tell him that she would be there. She watched as he stopped short after only one step, his eyes landing on her and their daughter playing with stuffed animals Hermione had charmed. His gaze was glued to the latter, staring at her as if he had never seen her before.

Hermione was glad she had decided to remove the dye from her hair after Daphne left that morning. She wanted Draco to see his daughter; to see that she was his in every way. Seeing as how she no longer had to try and hide her, a notion that seemed ridiculous now seeing as how everyone had known anyway, it was an easy decision to make.

"I am officially divorced."

"Congratulations," Hermione said with a smile. "How does it feel to be a free man?"

"I said divorced, not free, Granger," he chided, coming to her side and sinking down to his knees. He kissed the crown of her head and smiled against her hair. "How can I be free when it was you who's always had my heart?"

"Gross."

They both looked up at Ron as he entered the room. "Nice to see you too, Weasley."

Ron grinned and shook his head at both of them. "Just let me leave and then you two can get mushy. Just…keep it PG, okay? This is my mother's house."

"PG?" Draco asked, looking between them.

"It's a Muggle thing," Hermione replied with a laugh. "We will Ron, don't worry."

He said nothing else as he stepped into the fireplace and gave an address she didn't recognize. When it was just the three of them again, Draco turned his attention back to Elara. "I know there's still a lot to discuss, but…"

"I already planned on telling her today. I was just waiting for you."

His eyes watered and Hermione dug her nails into her palms to keep herself from following suit. "Thank you."

She nodded and removed the charms from the stuffed animals before sending them to the couch. "Mumma!"

They both laughed at the indignant look on Elara's face. "Mum has something she wants to tell you," she said, opening her arms. Elara wasted no time in settling into Hermione's lap, situating herself so she could see Draco too. "You remember Draco, right?"

Elara nodded in earnest and reached up to grab a fistful of her thick, blonde hair. "My hair," she said, pointing to Draco then.

Hermione nodded and took a deep breath as she kissed the top of her head. "There's a reason for that, love. Draco…" Her throat closed for a moment as tears threatened to fall. It was a happy moment, finally telling her daughter who her father was, but it was one that Hermione had dreaded for so long figuring the worst scenarios, that it was surreal. "He's your father."

Elara looked at her with inquisitive eyes before slowly turning back to Draco. She pushed out of Hermione's lap and stood in front of where he knelt. "Daddy?"

Draco nodded and swallowed hard, the apple of his throat bobbing as his tears finally broke free. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Kiddo. Life got in the way. We'll tell you about it when you're older."

"No we won't," Hermione muttered under her breath.

"Stay?"

He nodded again. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be here for you, Elara. No matter what happens."

There was a moment where their daughter just stared at him and then slowly, she opened her arms and stepped closer, placing them around him. Draco's arms followed suit, drawing her into his lap and wrapping his arms around her tiny body to pull her close. Hermione watched the two of them, her own tears falling rapidly. Draco lifted one hand, signaling for her and she shuffled over.

It was no longer a distant longing or a faded dream that never quite manifested. It was reality now. They could be together; all three of them. A family. As they sat, wrapped up in one another, Hermione realized she had never wanted anything more. And she would do whatever it took to keep them together.


	10. Chapter 10

**TEN**

Everything had been great. Perfect, if she dared to say so.

In the near two years they had been reunited and living as a family, it was though everything had clicked into place. With all of the unfortunate parts of their past sorted out, every day was a dream come true. They had tried to take it slow for all of three weeks before they decided to just take the plunge and buy a house.

He even made sure to buy the one with the biggest library on the market and then promised to spend the rest of forever expanding it.

The grounds surrounding their place was big enough for a pitch and with no one reason to not want Elara on a broom other than she herself was terrified, Draco spent many an afternoon teaching her to fly. Now she was somewhat of an expert and already talking about how she couldn't wait to be a Seeker just like her father.

Their friends and family stopped by regularly at all times of the day. All except for Lucius anyway. The only time Hermione ever saw him was an occasional run-in at Diagon or the Ministry. He would simply incline his head and carry on with whatever he was doing. If Draco was there to see, he would tighten his hold or reach for them before ushering them away.

They had only spoken of marriage once in the beginning. She had made an offhand comment and he replied that he wasn't sure he was ready. She hadn't taken offense to it. So long as she had him in her life, she didn't need a contract or a ring to know he was hers.

They hadn't spoken at all about potentially having more children. Looking at the book Lucius had told her about, it seemed rare that Malfoy's would produce more than one heir. However, it was rarer still to have that heir be female. She wondered if it had something to do with the fact that she wasn't Pureblood. That the new blood in the line had shifted something in his ability to produce. Either way, she wasn't sure she wanted more children and he never mentioned it.

Nor had he ever asked to see the memories she offered. He listened to her tell the stories and each time she would see that sad, wistful look in his eyes. Yet still, he declined to look. She assured him that even if it was twenty years from now, he was always welcome to look and then would apologize for making him miss them in the first place.

All in all, it was a life that she never knew she wanted, but was grateful to have. So it was truly perplexing when things started to change the day after Elara's fourth birthday.

At first, Hermione had chalked it up to an off day. They all had one here and there; it was part of human nature. But when that bad day turned into three and going on its fourth, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what else was going on.

When she had voiced her concern to Harry, he had simply asked her if she had talked to Draco. When she said that she hadn't yet, he told her that that was her best option. If she still didn't know, then he would help her. But by the end of the night when Draco returned home from his errands, Hermione lost her nerve.

The next morning she had woken up feeling like death warmed over. Her stomach, her head; everything hurt. She had asked Draco to take Elara to Molly's if he was planning on leaving at all. He had given her a potion to help ease the aches, but whether it worked or not, she wasn't sure. She ended up sleeping until the following morning.

It was strange to have the house to herself. There was a note on her pillow saying that Draco had run out to help his mother at the Manor and Elara had stayed the night at Molly's. Still not feeling well, she forced herself out of bed and into the shower. The moment the water turned on, she hissed at the sensation of the water on her chest. It wasn't that the water was too hot, but something wasn't quite right.

It hit her as she reached for the towel out of habit. When the fabric ran across her nipples, her bottom lip quivered. She went completely still and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She studied herself, taking in every inch of her body. When her gaze dropped to her stomach, her breath hitched.

The last time she had felt like this she had gone to St. Mungo's and the Mediwitch told her she was pregnant.

Swallowing hard and shaking off the notion with a laugh, she summoned her wand and dried herself off with her magic. It was probably nothing. Perhaps just the common cold. But it would never hurt to check herself checked out. After heading down to the kitchen, she nibbled on a piece of toast and then used the Floo to the wizarding hospital.

She checked herself in and sat in the lobby. Her leg bounced with nervous energy as she stared down at her hands neatly folded in her lap. When someone called her name, she looked up and followed the healer to an exam room and sat on the table. After listing her symptoms, the healer had her lie back on the table.

A few flicks of her wand and a familiar warming sensation later was all it took for Hermione to have her answer.

* * *

Draco wasn't sure what it was, but something about Hermione was off. He was trying his best to carry on as usual, but he was afraid that if he did, he would give himself away. He wasn't fond of keeping things from her, but he was sure out of all of the secrets he'd ever kept, she would understand when he told her. But still, the fact that she seemed off was worrisome.

He had been planning this for ages, wanting to wait for the perfect moment. But on Elara's fourth birthday he realized that if he kept waiting, it was never going to happen. He had to create the perfect moment and the next day he had roped everyone he knew into helping him do just that.

Since she had finally told him the truth about her parents, he went to Potter to ask permission. He granted it, begrudgingly, but made him promise to ask Weasley as well. Sucking up his pride, he tracked down the last part of the Golden Trio and asked him too. As he figured, Weasley was harder to get an approval from. After several promises to never break her heart ever again and to always pick up the tab, he got his approval.

The next stop had been the Manor. His mother had cried more tears in one afternoon than he had ever seen from her in all his life. They were happy tears, but they still made him uncomfortable. She gave her blessing right away and asked if he wanted to peruse the Malfoy or Black family vaults. He declined both, saying that she deserved something new; something that was just hers. By the time he came home for the night, he and his mother had the entire thing planned to make everything as smooth as possible.

The last piece of the puzzle was to pick out the perfect piece. For that, he had enlisted Daphne and Ginny to help. The she-weasel, soon to be Zabini had known her the longest and Daphne had become a very good friend of Hermione's since her return. He was glad to see that they had bonded despite the menace that was her sister; his ex-wife. With their help, they had found the perfect fit.

Even now, as he paced the foyer at the Manor, he had the little box open to stare at it. As if it would disappear if he wasn't looking at it. It was simple, but not plain. The band was comprised of two smaller ones, wrapped around each other in and endless knot. One thread was gold while the other was silver. A perfect blend of their former house colors. There was a modestly sized diamond with a blushed hue to it at the center that wasn't raised too high. He knew she wouldn't want something tall that could easily catch on something. There were even little flecks of matching diamonds interspersed around the band on the parts that would show when she wore it.

He had only stopped by for one last check in with his mother to make sure everything was ready for when he brought Hermione back. But now as he was to head home and collect her, he couldn't seem to go. There was still that horrible niggling in the back of his mind telling him she would say no. That that off feeling he'd sensed was because she didn't love him anymore.

It was ridiculous; he knew that. Knew it was mostly from nerves, but it was still there.

His pacing ceased at the sound of a throat clearing. He snapped the box closed and placed it back in his pocket before turning. He stiffened at the sight of his father. They hadn't seen much of one another since his first marriage had been dissolved. It hadn't been too great a loss; all Lucius had ever done was for his own benefit, never for Draco's.

"I won't intrude on your night, Draco, but I would like to apologize."

Draco swallowed over the lump in his throat. "I don't know if I'm ready for that. I don't know if I can forgive you."

Lucius' chin tipped forward and his grip tightened slightly on his cane. "Should you decide that you at least hear what I have to say, you know where to find me."

He shook his head. It was something he would think about later. Much later.

"And Draco?" His attention was brought back to Lucius. "Congratulations."

His lips twitched. "I haven't even asked her. She might say no."

"She won't," he said, his lips drawing back into the semblance of a smile. With another tip of his head, he turned and left the foyer.

It was a start. Of what, exactly, he wasn't sure, but it was enough to ease his nerves. With another sigh and a pat to his pocket, he stepped into the Floo and went home. He stepped into his living room and took a deep breath before heading upstairs to see if Hermione was ready. He hadn't told her what was happening other than he was taking her to dinner and to dress nicer than their casual nights out. Elara had already been at Molly's and he had it arranged for her to stay the night again as well.

Draco had expected to see Hermione in tears, but it wasn't until much later in the night. After she had said yes. And the tears would be happy. He was not prepared to see her curled around a large pillow looking like a nervous wreck. He ran to her side and knelt behind her, drawing her into his lap.

"What's wrong?" he asked, smoothing her hair down her back. "What happened?"

"You've been distant this week, Draco."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Why? Did I do something? Is there…" She swallowed a sob and buried her face in his chest. "Is there someone else?"

"What? No!" He shifted her on his lap and tilted her face up with two fingers under her chin. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"Which part?"

His eyes narrowed further as he brushed tears from her cheeks. "First of all, you did nothing. Even when you're being the most irrational, irritating witch in the world, there's nothing about you that would push me away. And second," he said, tightening his hold slightly. "the only person I have ever had eyes for is you."

"I know," she murmured, her face flushing.

"I mean it, Hermione, you're it for me. You've always been the one. Well, you were. Now you have Elara to compete with," he said with a smile, one that grew when she huffed a laugh. "The two of you have my whole heart. It's getting cramped in there with the both of you."

She was silent for a moment as she studied him. His heart skipped a beat as her eyes glittered. "Too cramped for a third?"

He forgot how to breathe when her words clicked into place. It was driven home further when she reached up to take his hand from her face and place it over her stomach and then covered it with hers.

"You're… How?"

"How?" she asked with a laugh. "I think you know the mechanics by now."

He swallowed hard, unable to do anything but hold her gaze and keep his hand pressed to her abdomen. "When?"

"Six weeks ago," she said. "At least that's what the healer told me this morning."

"You went to St. Mungo's alone?"

"I had a hunch and I followed up on it. I've been feeling ill the past few days and this morning it hit me."

His jaw clenched and he saw the way she shifted, having taken his expression as displeasure. "You should have told me. I would have gone with you. After what you told me about the last time-"

"This is nothing like the last time, Draco. I know exactly how it happened and who it happened with. Are…" she paused and he felt her fingers tap on the back of his hand. "Are you happy?"

He responded by pulling her over top of him and bringing her face down to his. He kissed her until they were breathless and squirming for more. "Of course I'm happy. I'm just surprised. Merlin, Hermione," he whispered. "I didn't think it was possible to be happier than I was before."

"Me neither."

"I promise," he said, brushing curls from her face. "This will be _nothing_ like the last time. I want to be there every step of the way. In fact," he moved so he could reach into his pocket and pulled out the box. "I want everything to be different this time around. I planned this differently for tonight, but I'm tired of waiting."

Her breath hitched and her eyes widened as he opened the box and presented the ring to her. "Oh, Draco. I ruined it, didn't I?"

"Far from it," he said, taking the ring from the box and reaching for her left hand. "I had a whole speech planned too, but it's hard to think while you're sitting on me, so forgive me if this isn't perfect."

"I don't mind," she said, her voice practically a purr as she flexed her hips above him.

He groaned as all his blood rushed south, causing his cock to spring to life fully. "Let me do this, Granger. Please?"

"You won't be able to call me that if I say yes."

He grinned. "Guess you'll have to say yes and see if that's the case."

"Yes."

"I haven't even asked."

She ground her hips down again. "I don't care. Yes."

"That's rather rude," he groused with a smile as he slid the ring onto her finger. "Just let me ask. That way I can say I did." Her gaze flickered down to his and he laced their fingers together, enjoying the way the metal on her finger dug into his. "Will you marry me, Hermione?" he asked.

"Yes, Draco," she said with an enthusiastic nod as she leaned down to capture his lips. "Yes, a thousand times yes."

He surged forward, capturing her lips again and rolling them so she was beneath him. He wasn't sure if it was her magic or his, but by the time she was on her back, their clothes had vanished. In the span of one breath to the next, he slotted their hips together and filled her with his cock. She gave a satisfied sigh beneath him and reached up to cup his face, the metal cold against his skin.

"I love you," she said as he pulled all the way out just to slide back in.

"I love you too."

He spent the better part of the night showing her just how much he loved her. He whispered it into her mouth, her ears, the space between her thighs. She did the same to him as she memorized every inch of his body with the tip of her tongue. It wasn't the proposal he had had in mind, but it was perfect all the same.

They never made it to the Manor, choosing to arrive for breakfast instead to share the news. They then made their rounds and by the end of the night, with Elara fast asleep between them, everyone knew.

It had been a rocky start, but it had worked out in the end. He had everything he wanted and when he looked at Hermione, he could tell she was thinking the same. Both of them were right where they wanted to be and nothing would ever change that for him. Not when he had worked so hard to get to this point.

With his arms around both his girls, he drifted off to sleep, hoping that their bed was big enough for four and vowing to get a new one if it wasn't.


End file.
